Renegotiation Of Waste Disposal Services In Key West, Florida

Effective planning of a solid waste recycling program is a substantial challenge for the current waste management system in Key West, Florida. Solid waste management strategies have to be reorganized in light of the social and economic recycling, recovery, and reuse philosophical approaches which are dramatically changing consumer behaviors across the globe. The growing concern for environmental issues and the goal of local sustainable development have moved the management of solid waste to the forefront of the public agenda. This paper focuses on efforts to agree upon a city-wide initiative to increase waste diversion within the prevailing political, environmental, and economic climate in which waste disposal activities had dominated the market. It discusses how the traditional two-party solid waste hauling contract was altered by the addition of outside third-party interests forcing a multi-party negotiation processes. ffective planning of a solid waste recycling program is a substantial challenge for the current waste management system in Key West, Florida. Solid waste management strategies have to be reorganized in light of the social and economic recycling, recovery, and reuse philosophical approaches which are dramatically changing across the globe. The growing concern for environmental issues and the goal of sustainable development have moved the management of solid waste to the forefront of the public agenda. Legislation and regulations, along with techniques for appropriate waste treatment and disposal, have been introduced in local and national levels to improve waste management systems. Moreover, strategies for sustainable waste management have emphasized the need to minimize waste production, increase waste recovery, and reduce the use of landfills. Managers of municipal recycling programs must balance citizens" demands for more efficient services within budget with state-mandated performance measures while ensuring compliance with federal regulatory bodies. The Problem The City of Key West"s local government staff, City Commissioners, and ultimately tax- paying citizens and voters, have been faced with intense and long-drawn out negotiations with representatives of several organizations seeking to promote the tangible and intangible interests of various constituent groups with conflicting, yet overlapping, missions. Each organization claims to offer greater overall value than the traditional contractor, Waste Management, which, for decades, has held a virtual monopoly on this lucrative service. The City"s organizational and strategic plan for doubling recycling rates from 2010 to 2015 throughout its jurisdiction had been based on historic solid waste inventory, current waste volumes, and projections provided by the City Climate Action Team and is tied to cost savings associated with decreased solid waste haul-out costs required due to the geographical nature of the island city. Following the City"s membership of the International Community of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in 2009, a more open market and bottom-up approach to sustainability planning, and therefore negotiations for all contracts contributing to a sustainable future, is being considered to meet the underlying interests of a green-conscious community. In Key West, this community continues to gain momentum