Dodd’s Trash Hauling and Recycling remains Newton’s waste disposal provider

People may have expected a dumpster fire at the Newton City Council meeting this past Monday night based on the amount of passionate online comments in support of Dodd’s Trash Hauling and Recycling, but in reality it was a relatively tame affair that ended with a unanimous vote from officials to stay local.

Council members voted 6-0 to instruct city staff to seek a contract with Dodd’s, passing over two other trash hauling providers whose representatives argued they have more progressive systems than the Newton-based and family-owned company. Officials and citizens made it clear they like what they already have.

They like being able to call Dodd’s at a moment’s notice for a roll-off dumpster. They like that the owners are set in their ways and value a workforce rather than an expensive automated system. They like that Dodd’s has always been there for the community whenever they needed them, and even when they didn’t.

From the moment city staff introduced the proposals to officials in February, council member Randy Ervin was very upfront in his support for Dodd’s. It would take a lot to convince him to vote for another provider. He feels a connection to the owners who have shown their love for the community time and time again.

“I don’t know how you can vote for anybody other than Dodd’s,” Ervin said.

Council member Melissa Dalton said she wouldn’t be doing her job as an elected official if she did not listen to residents and choose Dodd’s. Although it would be nice to have uniformity and automated services, Dalton said Dodd’s is local and its owner-operators are frequently involved in or sponsoring community events.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer for me,” Dalton said. “Do I think the other two have great things to offer? Absolutely. But I feel like … the people have spoken.”

HOW THIS ALL STARTED & THE RATES TO CITIZENS

Last month the city announced it had solicited proposals from other waste management companies. Three companies responded, including Dodd’s, Midwest Sanitation and Recycling and Waste Management and Recycling Services. Their proposals were shared with city council members.

Regardless of which proposal council chose, the rate charged to citizens would have to increase. Waste disposal fees are added onto utility bills.

Currently, the residents of Newton are charged $15.16 per month for solid waste disposal. The city estimated residents would pay $18.05 per month if the city chose Dodd’s, but they would be limited to only a 35-gallon bin. By the end of the five-year contract, the fee to residents would climb to $20.08.

Midwest Sanitation would cost residents $20.80 per month for a 35-gallon bin ($23.41 by Year Five); $23.15 per month for a 65-gallon bin ($26.06 by Year Five); and $25.85 per month for a 95-gallon bin ($29.09 by Year Five).

Waste Management would cost $20.65 per month for a 65-gallon bin ($25.10 by Year Five) and $23.05 per month for a 95-gallon bin ($28.02 by Year Five).

RATES FOR THE CITY ARE LESS THAN WHAT CITIZENS PAY

However, the rates to the city are less than what citizens pay. The base proposal from Dodd’s presented a $15 per month per unit rate for the city, with an annual increase based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Despite the low rate, city staff said Dodd’s has the highest price-per-gallon rate.

Which is in large part due to the hauler’s choice to go with 35-gallon bins. Dodd’s chooses this size of bin because it not only makes it easier for staff to manually haul them into the backs of trucks, but it is also less strain on elderly populations in town who may struggle moving a larger bin to and from the curb.

Midwest Sanitation and Waste Management utilize automated systems. The base proposal from Midwest Sanitation was $20.58 per month per unit with a 3 percent annual increase. The company’s alternative proposal came in at $17.75 for 35-gallon and 95-gallon carts and $17.50 for 65-gallon carts.

Waste Management did not want to provide a manual collection system and it does not typically provide collections for 35-gallon bins. It proposed the cheapest rate to the city at $14.98 per month per unit for 65-gallon and 95-gallon carts. Waste Management also had the lowest price per gallon.

NEWTON RESIDENTS CLEARLY WANT DODD’S

Dana Woody, of Newton, said she does not care that the city solicited proposals from trash hauling companies, but she also does not know why “we would threaten their livelihood with trying to go with somebody else from out of town.” Woody noted all the times Liz and Dave Dodd have helped their community.

“Unless they have mentioned or talked about wanting to retire or something like that, I don’t think we should take away their business,” she said. “Newton is all about helping small business … Why would we give that business to somebody else when they have been here so long and have done such a great job?”

Jerry Chandler Jr., of Newton, said all he has heard is “local, local, local.” He argued the Dodd family have given so much to their community. Chandler also feels a personal connection to the business because he used to work for Dodd’s. To him, it didn’t make sense to offer the service to anyone else besides Dodd’s.

“They’re a local company,” Chandler said to council members. “They’ve done nothing but support this town. This community has done nothing but benefit from the Dodd family. I don’t know why there is even any consideration, guys. These people are the ones that deserve it … Leave it local.”

Jeff Hoebelheinrich, the former Newton police chief, also understood that it was the city’s duty to let other companies send their proposals, but he made it clear he was a supporter of Dodd’s, too. Hoebelheinrich noted the online responses posted on the Newton Daily News Facebook page, which amassed 200 comments.

“All of them except for one person — one smart aleck — had to say something negative about them. Everybody else they were 100 percent positive for Dodd’s,” Hoebelheinrich said. “…It sounds like if you put paper to pen, the numbers, as far as I’m concerned, everything laid in Dodd’s in favor.”

Hoebelheinrich added that Dodd’s may not be the cheapest option when it comes to price per gallon, but he felt their service outweighed that metric.

“I think the service that they’re giving us at that price is beneficial for the city.”

TRASH HAULING PROVIDERS MAKE THEIR CASE

Liz and Dave Dodd were thankful for all the support Dodd’s Trash Hauling and Recycling has received. The third-generation, family-owned business has provided trash hauling services to the City of Newton for the past 45 years. Liz Dodd said they knew the contract with the city would expire this year.

“So we began meeting with Joe (Grife), the public works director, to work through the process to get to where we are today,” Liz Dodd said. “People want to think that we didn’t know this was coming and that you guys were after is. They all need to understand that was not the case.”

Liz Dodd recalled the history of the business and its efforts to introduce recycling services to the city. Although Newton residents are to use an 18-gallon bin for their recyclable materials, Dodd’s allows residents to dispose more than what can be fit inside the bin during the weekly pickups.

“We’ll take it all,” she said to city council members. “We don’t care what color the container is. We don’t care what size the container is. As long as it is identified as recycling and it’s separated from your trash so we know what customers’ intentions are, we take all the recycling.”

Dodd’s also has worked arrangements with residents who have difficulty bringing their 35-gallon garbage bins to their curbs.

“If somebody reaches out to us — even if they haven’t been to a doctor — if they’re medically not able to get their stuff at the end of the curb, we’ll take their address and we’ll ask if they’ll leave a light on since we do this stuff at night,” she said. “We just go and get it and it works out perfectly.”

Bryan Vander Meiden, president of Midwest Sanitation, said the family-operated business is comprised of local customer service workers, maintenance techs, a safety director and 40 employees striving to fulfill the company’s slogan: “pride in service.” Vander Meiden said Newton has been a goal of Midwest Sanitation.

“Always has been,” he said. “We currently service Baxter, Sully, Lynnville and Monroe in Jasper County, and many other communities in Central Iowa and South Central Iowa. We’re here for a community partnership. We understand it’s been status quo for 40 years. And we’re here to move it forward.”

Vander Meiden added that Midwest Sanitation bid per the city’s bid specs, and it was the only company to bid all tote sizes. He urged council members to truly compare the trash haul providers apples to apples and not apples to oranges. He also highlighted the company’s community involvement.

“I was honored to sit on the committee for RAGBRAI in Knoxville, and we helped take care of the trash, recycling and the portable toilets as RAGBRAI passed through on an overnight town in Knoxville,” he said. “While we were also doing Knoxville, we oversaw the trash, recycling and portable toilets at Albia.”

Midwest Sanitation has also covered events like Tulip Time, Monroe Old Settlers and numerous Fourth of July celebrations in multiple communities. The company is also the waste disposal provider for the Iowa Speedway. Vander Meiden noted changing providers and systems is a hard transition but a good transition.

“I’ve listened to a council that wants progress, that wants to move Newton forward — not stay status quo,” he said. “I urge you to think about that as you make this decision to move to a carted program. Once you go carts, I’ve never had a community that’s said we didn’t like it, we don’t want it.”

Ammon Taylor, area manager for Waste Management, wanted to address the elephant in the room: Waste Management and Midwest Sanitation are going up against a very popular, local hauler. Even if council chooses to go with Dodd’s, Taylor requested the city still think of Waste Management for partnerships.

“We still want you to call on us to be your community partner in the years ahead,” Taylor said. “We have engaged with other communities across Iowa who are not our current customers when it comes to community grants, planting trees, different events such as RAGBRAI.”

Taylor hoped council could see beyond the emotional appeal of choosing a provider like Dodd’s. He argued the council is not voting for who is the most popular, nor is it a referendum on past performance. To him, this was a vote on how the city wants its trash to be serviced.

“There are two very distinctive and different service models on the table,” Taylor said. “…We are asking you tonight to vote for an automated collection program. Almost every community in the Des Moines metro area has already made this transition.”

Automated collection, he added, dramatically increases both recycling participation and recycling volumes coming out of the community. Taylor said it also increases the convenience for residents by providing everyone with the same standardized carts at no additional expense.

“It improves the curb appeal of your community,” he said. “Those new carts look good and they also help reduce litter by having standardized lids. You’ll get a new CNG fleet — compressed natural gas — versus diesel. And it helps ensure an exceptional service experience consistently.”

Taylor argued Waste Management is the low bidder between the three companies. Its bid to the city was lower than the bid from Dodd’s, and its price per gallon was also lower than Dodd’s. Taylor said choosing Waste Management means reduced tipping fees due to volumes moving from trash to recycling.

“You have a lower tip fee for recycling than you do for trash,” he said. “As we help increase the volume of recycling, you’re shifting that tonnage from a high tip fee base at the landfill to a low tip fee base in recycling. And you’re extending the life of your landfill. Again, some of the benefits automated collection only can bring.”

Taylor agreed with Vander Meiden that it would be a tough transition for Newton to choose another trash hauling provider.

“Change is hard,” he said. “I’m sure the transportation industry got a lot of pushback when the Model T came out. But look where we are today as an industry with transportation, and this is what automation is in the waste industry. We can help make a smooth transition for your residents.”

CITY COUNCIL QUESTIONS OUT-OF-TOWN PROVIDERS

While many of the council members would give their individual input later in the meeting, Ervin led the charge in questioning the providers. He first questioned Waste Management over its bid package, specifically the base proposal of a manual collection service for a 35-gallon bin of solid waste.

Waste Management had put down $100 per household for the base proposal. Taylor spoke with the public works director and said it is not a scope of service the company is interested in. But Waste Management didn’t want to be rejected on a bid by not bidding a line item requested by the city.

Taylor asked public works if Waste Management should inflate the base proposal to the point where it sends a message that it does not want to provide a manual collection service but is still compliant in the bid process. Taylor said the public works director told him yes and gave him the OK.

However, Taylor later clarified that although Waste Management is only interested in an automated only system, workers do follow through with manual collections when appropriate. If an alley is too difficult to travel through or an elderly resident needs assistance, workers can pull those carts out manually.

Ervin questioned if providing bigger bins would really increase recycling. Taylor cited news articles from 2021 that said Omaha saw increased recycling volumes thanks to the implementation of larger bins; from 2019 to 2021, Omaha saw 30 percent more recycling usage. Ervin disagreed with those numbers.

The council member then asked where Waste Management’s corporate office is located. When Taylor tried to explain the regional hauling office is located in Des Moines, Ervin interrupted him and repeated that he wanted to know the corporate office location. Taylor said the corporate office is located in Houston, Texas.

Council member Joel Mills argued a representative of an undisclosed city is “not too satisfied” with the overall contract Waste Management provided, the primary reason being a “lack of customer service.” Mills asked Taylor to explain what the business plan would be if Newton chose the provider.

“Two parts to customer service. One is the city. Questions about the contract, about the rate, about the billing. That’s your area of management. That would be me. As it relates to customer service for residents and their trash being picked up, there are several different resources for them,” Taylor said.

Waste Management has a call center in case there is a missed pickup or other issues that can be addressed. The company also has a website to report these same issues. Customers can also use an app. Taylor said Waste Management has invested in a lot of technology to help its customers.

Ervin asked if Midwest Sanitation offered manual or if that was a service it would provide to the citizens of Newton. Vander Meiden reiterated that the provider bid everything per the city’s specs but also provided an alternative proposal. Ervin also asked where the corporate office is located. Vander Meiden said Pella.

“Is it a family company or a corporation?” Ervin asked.

Vander Meiden said, “It is a corporation but it is owned solely by myself and my parents still have some.”

Ervin asked if Midwest Sanitation provided any other services to Newton other than events at the Iowa Speedway. Vander Meiden said it was providing services to Gates and Maytag Dairy Farm, and it currently provides service to the mobile home park. Council member Steve Mullan asked why pickup is only in daytime.

Similarly to the automated service, it is more efficient but it is also safer. Vander Meiden said safety is a key component to Midwest Sanitation.

“Safety, safety, safety,” he said. “We want to have that driver enclosed in that cab … A garbage truck gets rear-ended a lot, right? If you have people working behind that truck, guys, that is very dangerous. That’s the whole reason why in 2000 we chose as a family to go automated.”

DODD’S QUESTIONED BUT IS THE CLEAR FAVORITE

To Ervin, the council’s decision goes beyond just what it costs. The council member commended Dodd’s for employing individuals who need second chances and have difficult finding jobs elsewhere. Ervin said the Dodd family helps put those people back on their feet.

“That, to me, is why we would stick with you,” Ervin said. “…There is a little piece in the back of my head that says, ‘Man, it would be really nice to have uniformity, the guys with the new stuff.’ There is part of me that thinks that would be cool. Is it worth it? Not really.”

The council member went on to ask Liz and Dave Dodd if they were ever threatened by the city, that the city was going to look elsewhere. Both said no. Ervin said it made the council proud to see the support from the community, but he also questioned if Dodd’s can handle a five-year contract.

“Five years is a long time,” Ervin said. “Are you going to be able to commit to the city for five years as a family?”

Dave Dood said, “We wouldn’t have did the contract if we weren’t going to do it.”

Liz Dodd noted that although there are rumors of their retirement or stepping back, it doesn’t mean if they do that Dodd’s will cease operations. The family business can still keep going, she said. Mills asked if Dodd’s has ever thought of changing its business model or automating their system.

“We have not,” Liz Dodd said. “The investment is huge.”

“Plus,” Dave Dodd said, “I like having people working. I’ve got employees that work and they’re involved in the community, they shop here, they’re all here. And that’s the workforce. I don’t want a machine running the route.”

“We may be set in our ways a little bit but we’ve provided jobs for people who never had a chance,” Liz Dodd added. “It’s a hand up instead of a handout. At least they’re not living off the government and at least they’re trying. Are they perfect? No. But we have many success stories.”