Portsmouth reviewing bids for waste disposal options

PORTSMOUTH — With a Jan. 1, 2019 deadline looming, the town took one step closer Friday in deciding how it will dispose of its trash going forward by opening sealed contract bids from various companies.

Portsmouth’s current contract with transfer station operator J.R. Vinagro expires at the end of the year, and the town is weighing whether to continue operating the station or switch to curbside pickup.

Bids for both options were opened by Brian Woodhead, deputy director of the Department of Public Works, at Town Hall Friday afternoon. They will now be thoroughly reviewed by department heads before a recommendation is submitted to the Town Council for a vote on Tuesday, Oct. 10. That meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Portsmouth Middle School.

The bids for operating the transfer station, which does not include the cost of transporting trash and recyclables to the state landfill in Johnston, broke down as follows:

• Lawrence Waste Services of Medway, Mass.: $336,000

• J.R. Vinagro Corp. of Johnston: $348,200

• Waste Management of Cranston: $416,300

Each company also provided estimates for various options under the bid requests, such as an additional worker at the station, and restrictions on certain types of trash in order to save money.

Curbside pickup bids

The town also received three bids for curbside pickup, all for the first year of service:

• Waste Management: $646,200

• Patriot Disposal of Johnston (operated by J.R. Vinagro): $775,000

• MTG Disposal of Seekonk: $895,000

The companies gave monthly cost estimate per resident, based on an assumption that 4,000 citizens would sign up for curbside pickup: $15 under Waste Management and $35 under Patriot Disposal. 

MTG’s monthly estimate seemed too high in comparison to its overall bid. Mr. Woodhead said department heads would review the bid more thoroughly to determine an accurate figure.