The city of Merriam is officially moving to a single trash hauler for all residents.
The Merriam City Council on Monday voted 6-0 to approve a single waste hauler ordinance, which means all Merriam residents will be on a citywide contract with a single trash hauler. Councilmembers Reuben Cozmyer and Bruce Kaldahl were absent.
For months, Merriam city leaders have been exploring the idea of moving to a single trash hauler. During that time, a special committee created a plan outlining certain terms for what the city wanted from a citywide trash contract.
The details still need to be worked on for the five-year contract, which will be with GFL Environmental Inc.
But the city knows the contract will cost residents roughly $23 a month or roughly $276 annually. That cost will appear as a new line on property tax bills, and all residents (except those in homeowners’ associations with existing single hauler contracts) are required to sign onto the citywide contract.
About $3 of that monthly cost on residents’ bills will go to the city to cover the cost of half of a new employee’s annual pay.
Now, residents have 18 months to end their current individual trash contracts and get onto the citywide system with GFL.
How did we get here?
A 2024 Merriam community survey found that 65% of residents either agreed or strongly agreed that the city should implement a city-wide trash hauler contract. Still, out of five other priorities like incentivizing a grocery store to come to Merriam, 43% of residents thought the single-trash hauler issue was the lowest priority.
After seeing those survey results, the city council last July started following the process outlined in the Organized Collection Service Act, a state law that standardizes how municipalities can transition services for solid waste and recyclable collections.
That process included a special committee that chose what specifically to seek from a single trash hauler, such as the size of bins, pricing and other details.
By March, city staff shared answers with the city council about the preferred company — Canada-based GFL Environmental Inc. — as well as the estimated cost to residents and more.
Some residents have expressed confusion about whether the city council had already voted to move to a citywide single trash hauler. Monday night’s vote was the first time the city council had officially approved a single waste hauler collection service.
What’s in the contract with GFL?
Merriam city staff outlined the details of the citywide single trash hauler contract to include:
- Weekly pickups for trash, recycling and yard waste (all to be picked up on the same day)
- Providing households with 65- and 95-gallon bins
- Up to 10 bags of yard waste can be collected at a time, with two amnesty weeks in which residents can put out more at no additional charge
- Pickup of up to three large items each month (though what qualifies as a large item has yet to be worked out, per the city’s website)
- Garage to curb service for those who qualify
For now, the city plans to continue its own city-run bulky item pickup program each spring and fall (in addition to GFL’s regular pickups), as well as tree limb pickup services and Christmas tree curbside pickup service in the winter.
Some residents questioned single trash hauler
Three residents spoke to the city council on Monday, and all three questioned or opposed moving the city to a single trash hauler.
Julie and William Bailey asked city staff numerous questions from how the single trash hauler service will impact roads to how billing will work. (Answers to these questions are provided in a city-issued frequently asked questions page online here.)
Two weeks ago, the city council also heard from about a dozen residents who were relatively split on the single trash hauler idea.
At that meeting on April 14, resident Wayne Hooker said he supports the single-hauler trash idea because his current trash provider continues to raise rates while the quality of service declines.
Other residents at that earlier meeting questioned whether the city should consider a three-year instead of a five-year single-hauler contract.
Others supported the idea of having fewer garbage trucks on city streets but questioned the reliability of one hauler. Some also opposed the idea altogether because it takes away residents’ ability to choose a provider.
GFL is “very confident in service levels”
Councilmember Jason Silvers on Monday told Tom Coffman, a GFL government contracts manager based in Kansas City, that he’s heard a lot of concerns about whether the company can provide the same standard of service at what is a cheaper price for most residents.
Coffman told Silvers that he is “very confident in service levels and the delivery model” GFL uses.
GFL already contracts with other Johnson County cities, providing citywide service in Fairway, Mission, Roeland Park and Westwood, as well as several cities on the Missouri side of the metro, including Belton, Platte Woods and Riverside, Coffman said.
The single waste hauler service starts in 18 months
City staff said the single trash hauler service will start on Nov. 1, 2026.
Assistant City Administrator Caitlin Gard said the city still needs to work out the remaining contract details with GFL, such as routes and bin distribution.
GFL has also agreed to work with the city and residents whose trash hauler contracts end prior to Nov. 1, 2026, Gard said.
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