Contract Services

Alameda County Waste Management Authority

Best Practices Guide (2004)

Project Description

The Alameda County Waste Management Authority's (Authority) commitment to achieving a diversion goal of 75% and beyond involves promoting innovative policies and programs to its member agencies to maximize recycling and diversion and facilitating the implementation of such policies and programs.  The Authority wanted to develop a guide to assist with program selection and franchise development.

HF&H Solution

HF&H assisted the Authority with the preparation of a Best Practices Guide for franchise agreements for Authority staff to use internally as a reference document. The goal of developing the Best Practices Guide for franchising services was to document the Authority's recommendations regarding the recycling and diversion policies and programs that typically surface when contracting with private companies for solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic materials collection, processing, and disposal services.

Project Results

The Best Practices Guide included a comprehensive discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the following:

• Open market collection of commercial recyclable and organic materials.
• Franchise hauler’s exclusive collection of commercial recyclable and organic materials.
• Regulation of the construction and demolition debris generators.
• Regulation of the construction and demolition debris haulers.
• Permit and non-exclusive franchise systems.

In addition, it included suggested franchise language for specifying diversion services.