WILLIAMSBURG — The Virginia Peninsulas Public Service Authority Board of Directors voted Tuesday to terminate its curbside recycling contract with Tidewater Fibre Corporation, effective Sept. 30.
VPPSA said the decision was due to significant performance deficiencies. TFC will no longer serve as the curbside recycling provider for James City County, York County, the City of Williamsburg and the City of Poquoson.
VPPSA said it sent notice of termination to TFC Wednesday, Sept. 24, citing noncompliance with the authority’s agreement with TFC and TFC’s unwillingness to remedy the compliance issues.
“Waste diversion is important for reducing landfill waste and promoting environmental sustainability,” VPPSA Executive Director Jennifer Wheeler said. “However, it is imperative that we conduct this work responsibly. We recognize that terminating our contract with TFC may cause an inconvenience for residents of James City County, York County, Williamsburg, and Poquoson, and we appreciate your patience in this transition. VPPSA is committed to finding recycling solutions that fit the needs of each community and ensure proper compliance and accountability as quickly as possible.”
VPPSA said it has repeatedly requested records to verify the accuracy of its billing but has not received satisfactory documentation. To that end, VPPSA said it has continued paying TFC for the number of households collected, but has withheld payment of the disputed portions of invoices. Since February, VPPSA said it has offered recommendations, a corrective action plan, and proposed contract amendments to help the provider achieve compliance, but that TFC had not addressed adequate corrective actions.
VPPSA highlighted the following noncompliance issues:
- Inaccurate weight tracking procedures and records
- Missing records/failure to maintain records for five years
- Commingling of routes, making it impossible to accurately allocate weights
- Inaccurate reports supplied with invoices, resulting in inaccurate billing
- Failure to meet customer service performance standards, indicated by a high number of misses, consecutive misses, and missed special service collections
- High frequency of routes running past normal working hours and rollovers to next-day collections without proper notification
- Increasing amounts of spilled recyclables, oil, and vehicle fluids on roadways due to the poor condition of vehicles
- Improper cleanup of spilled recyclables, oil, and vehicle fluids, some of which are considered hazardous waste materials
- Lack of proper documentation for route sheets, cart counts, or address lists
- Property damage incidents without proper notification to residents
- Failure to complete route audits and waste composition studies
The curbside recycling contract was first signed in December 2018 and last amended in December 2023.
VPPSA is the regional waste authority. Members also include the City of Hampton and the counties of Mathews, Middlesex, Essex, King and Queen and King William.
As VPPSA seeks long-term options for waste diversion, the affected municipalities are working on recycling solutions for their communities.
James City County
James City County announced that beginning Oct. 13, as part of an emergency contract, Tidewater Fibre Corporation is once again serving curbside recycling customers on their regularly scheduled week and day.
The 90-day emergency contract runs from Oct. 13-Jan. 13 and will cover the services that were included in the Oct. 1-Dec. 31 bill, according to the county. Prior to the end of the emergency contract, James City County said it will go through a competitive bid process for a long-term provider.
The county said it appreciates the public’s patience as it worked to reestablish a countywide curbside recycling option, and added to visit its website to find the most up-to-date information or call the recycling hotline at 757-253-6700 or email jccrecycling@
Poquoson
The City of Poquoson announced it has entered into an emergency contract with TFC to continue recycling services as regularly scheduled through the end of November, so there will be no interruption in service.
Residents are asked to continue to place recycle bins curbside on their designated pick-up day.
Maintaining existing services is the number one priority for the city at this time, and it will oversee and manage this emergency contract internally to ensure any concerns or issues are promptly addressed with TFC.
The city added the Public Works Department will continue working to find a long-term solution that best meets the needs of Poquoson residents. For questions or concerns, contact the Public Works Department at 757-868-3598.
Williamsburg
City of Williamsburg residents will not experience any disruption to their curbside recycling schedule. The city said it is contracting with Republic Services, which already serves as the curbside garbage provider for Williamsburg, to begin curbside recycling service on Oct. 1. Recycling collection will follow the same Monday/Tuesday, every other week schedule.
The city noted two of James City County’s convenience centers are also available to residents: Jolly Pond Convenience Center and Tewning Road Convenience Center.
For more information on the City of Williamsburg’s recycling solution, residents can call the Public Works Department at 757-220-6140.
York County
York County’s curbside recycling program will officially conclude with the termination of the current contract on Sept. 30. The county said it is actively exploring alternative solutions to continue offering curbside recycling services in the future, and in the meantime, residents are asked to hold on to their recycling containers until further notice. Additional details and updates will be shared as soon as they are available.
York County recently notified residents that recycling bins should be placed at the curb on their regular trash collection day for pickup. The county added it understands some bins were not collected as expected and asks residents to leave their recycling bins at the street — it will be picked up as soon as possible.
We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this transition. Thank you for your cooperation.
Recycling remains available to York County residents through the Recycling Convenience Center at York County Waste Management from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
On a temporary basis, the county said James City County will allow the residents of York County to utilize the following convenience centers for drop-off recycling. Locations are James City County’s Jolly Pond Convenience Center, Sunday to Saturday: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Toano Convenience Center, Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proper ID is required.
For more information, visit yorkcounty.gov/recycle.
