Do what Big Waste usually can not do at council meetings-bring lots of supporters. Council members perceive bodies in the audience and speakers as voters. Give council and staff data showing your economic and environmental contribution to the community. Make the decision for the council to keep you in business an easy one. Cultivate the news media.
Recycling is popular feature material for print and television media.
Hire legal counsel if necessary to give the city legal reasons why it cannot legislate you out of business. This can be very effective if done well in advance of any vote. Maybe in a perfect world you shouldn t have to do any of this. But as long as Big Waste wants your accounts, you have to.