Citywide Trash Services Contract

The City of Fishers is currently pursuing a city-wide contract for residential trash service to go into effect in early 2025. Nearby cities such as Carmel, Noblesville, and Westfield currently have city-wide trash contracts in place. Benefits of a city-wide contract include:

the ability for the City to assist residents with trash concerns and issues;
reduced wear on neighborhood roadways;
a leveraged economies of scale to secure services not currently offered to the majority of residents, such as leaf and landscaping pickup;
and a locked-in rate for 10 years.

Twilight Town Hall: City-Wide Trash Services Contract

Join Mayor Scott Fadness for a virtual Twilight Town Hall on Wednesday, October 2 at 8 p.m. to discuss the City-wide trash services contract and learn more about the contract, transition process, billing, and other details directly from City leadership. Residents will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the session. Register here.

Background

In March 2024, the City of Fishers released the RFP for city-wide waste collection, including trash, recycling, and leaf and landscaping collection for all residential units in Fishers (see below for eligible residential units). The City also conducted a public survey for residents and HOAs to learn more about their current trash services and preferences. 2,532 residents and 120 HOAs completed the survey. Survey results can be found here.

SURVEY RESULTS

Recommendation

At the Board of Public Works meeting on July 23, City staff presented their recommendation of support for a city-wide trash contract with Republic Services (see the presentation here). Republic already serves the majority of households in the Fishers market and boasts decades of experience operating in the community. View the memo here.

RECOMMENDATION MEMO

Next Steps

A public hearing was held on August 13 at 9 a.m. in the Fishers City Hall Theater and a final recommendation will be presented to City Council this fall. If approved, services would be targeted to begin in January 2025.

FAQs

What would be included in these services?

Services are included, but not limited to:
-Weekly collection of solid waste & yard waste
-Bi-weekly curbside recycling
-Two 96-gallon containers for solid (a 65-gallon option will be provided upon request)
-One 96-gallon container for recycling (acceptable items include cardboard, newspaper, any paper products, aluminum & metal cans, plastic bottles/containers & jugs, and glass bottles)
-Leaf & landscaping waste pick up in April and November (each household is allowed 20 extra bags or bundles per week of landscape waste)
-Special needs service (for residents who are physically unable to walk their bins to the curb)

What is the anticipated timeline for awarding a contract?

April: Board of Public Works (BPW) Adopted RFP
June: City Receives Proposals from Offerors
July: City Staff Makes Recommendation to BPW
August 13th: Public Hearing on Contract
August 27th: Approve Contract at BPW
September 9th: Rate Ordinance & Public Hearing at City Council
January 2025: Services Begin

Who will manage billing for the trash service?

The City of Fishers will manage billing for the trash service. The monthly trash rate will be included on residents’ monthly utility bill for sanitary sewer.

What is defined as a residential unit?

The city-wide contract will serve all single-family residential units, condos that do not exceed 4 units with each dwelling unit being completely independent of the other, and townhouses.

Does this include businesses in Fishers?

No, this is only for residential units.

Are HOA clubhouses/ common buildings included in the city-wide trash contract?

Yes. Republic will include HOA clubhouses and common buildings in the city wide trash contract. If common buildings need more than the services included in the contract (2 trash bins +1 recycle bin), the HOA must work directly with Republic to purchase additional bins. Similarly, if the clubhouse or common building utilizes a dumpster, the HOA will need to work directly with Republic to coordinate services, separate from the city contract. The City will make a form available to HOAs, to “opt in” to the city wide trash service for common buildings and clubhouses.

If your HOA clubhouse/ common building opts in to the city contract, the City will bill your HOA directly for trash services at the proposed residential rates below.

What is the proposed cost of these services?

The proposed cost per household in 2025 would be $16.39 per month. According to the public survey conducted last year, this rate is lower than what 85% of residents currently pay for services. 70% of Fishers residents indicated they pay more than $21 per month for trash collection; 22% indicated they paid between $31 and $40 per month; and 24% indicated they pay more than $41 per month for trash and recycling services.

A full 10 year breakdown is below:
Year 1 – $16.39
Year 2 -$17.33
Year 3 – $18.32
Year 4 – $19.38
Year 5 – $20.51
Year 6 – $21.72
Year 7 – $23.00
Year 8 – $24.36
Year 9 – $25.82
Year 10 – $26.89

How would I pay for these services?

As a part of the city-wide trash contract, the City of Fishers will handle billing of residents for trash service. Residents can expect to see a single monthly bill including charges for both trash and sanitary services (if you are on Fishers sanitary sewer).

What if I already use Republic? Will anything change?

As a part of the transition, you may see a change in your pickup schedule as Republic identifies new routes. These new routes and schedules will be circulated prior to service starting.

If you currently receive an invoice directly from Republic Services or through your HOA dues, these charges will discontinue. Your trash fees will be included on one single bill from the City of Fishers including trash and sanitary sewer (if your residence is on the City’s sewer).

When would the service go into effect?

We are targeting services to begin in January 2025.

How long is the proposed contract?

The proposed Republic contract is for 10 years, beginning in 2025 and running through 2035.

Does this include unincorporated portions of Fishers?

No, this will only include incorporated portions of the city. Use Map Fishers to find out if your property is located within Fishers city limits. Properties shown in green are inside City limits (incorporated) those shown in gray are currently outside of city limits (unincorporated). All incorporated areas of Fishers are currently included in the contract.

Is there an administration fee included in my trash rate?

The City of Fishers will manage and administer the billing of residential units, as a part of the city-wide trash contract. In effectively providing billing services and related customer support, a $2 administration fee is included in the proposed monthly trash rates. The $2 administration fee is NOT an additional fee to the proposed rates, but is already included in the proposed rates listed above.

Click here for a breakdown of the administrative costs incurred by the City, to manage trash billing and related customer support.

Does this apply to HOA Clubhouses and common buildings?

The City has confirmed with Republic that HOA clubhouses and common buildings may be included in the city-wide trash contract, at the negotiated rates and services. If a clubhouse or common building needs more than the 2 waste + 1 recycle bins provided in the negotiated contract, the HOA will have to purchase additional bins through Republic (as would any resident that wants additional bins). As with the residential units on the contract, the City will bill the HOA directly for trash services at these common buildings and clubhouses. If your HOA already pays stormwater and/or sanitary sewer for your clubhouses or common buildings, the trash rate will be simply added to that bill.

Keep in mind, if your clubhouse or common area utilizes a dumpster, this service is NOT included in the contract, and you will have to work with Republic separately to negotiate a dumpster rate.

There is no action that you must take at this time .

How do I share feedback?

A public hearing will be held on August 13 for the public to provide feedback on the recommendation.

Twilight Town Hall: City-Wide Trash Services Contract

Background

Recommendation

Next Steps

FAQs

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