rfp contract no. c-2016-0599, textile recycling

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CONTACT: Adam Winfield, Simple Recycling President 862.268.2550 [email protected]

RFP Contract No. C-2016-0599, TEXTILE RECYCLING

Attention: The Woodlands Township Attn: John Geiger, Environmental Services Manager 8203 Millennium Forest Dr. The Woodlands Texas, 77381

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Simple Recycling’s free, curbside recycling of clothing and home goods launched in late 2013 and has quickly become the largest and fastest growing curbside clothing recycling company in the nation. With current service provided to over 3.0 million residents across Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, Simple Recycling is the leader and innovator in residential waste reduction. Because of The Woodlands leadership in environmental sustainability, Simple Recycling first approached the The Woodlands Township, in 2014 seeking a partnership for dramatic waste reduction, added convenience and excellent service for The Woodland’s residents. Since these initial conversations, Simple Recycling has grown its leadership role at a local and nation level. Simple Recycling agrees to and offers all of the requested service parameters in the issued RFP. Simple Recycling’s is first and foremost, a free, turn-key curbside clothing and home goods recycling company focused on providing maximum convenience and simplicity for our partner municipalities and its residents. Simple Recycling is a family owned and operated company with 3 generations of clothing and home goods collection and recycling experience. Simple Recycling’s sister companies; Lakes Management and Lakes Marketing, have and continue to manage and operated the clothing and household discard donation collection programs for

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nationally recognized charitable organizations like Military Order of the Purple Heart, AMVETS and the City Mission for over 50 years in Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

B. Authorized Negotiator CONTACT: Adam Winfield, Simple Recycling President 862.268.2550 [email protected] Great Lakes Recycling, Inc dba Simple Recycling 5425 Naiman Parkway Solon, OH 44139

C. Company History: Simple Recycling’s free, curbside recycling of clothing and home goods launched in late 2013 in Michigan. By 2016, Simple Recycling has successfully expanded its free curbside recycling programs to more than 50 municipalities in 4 states. With current service provided to over 3.0 million residents across Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, Simple Recycling is the foremost national leader and innovator in residential waste reduction. Notable communities in Texas that have adopted Simple Recycling include: Austin, TX, Sugar Land, TX, Plano, TX, Texas City, TX and many more. Simple Recycling’s proven success has lead to exponential growth with service to over 800,000 households (see “Households Over Time” chart).

mailto:[email protected]

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Simple Recycling has never had a partner municipality discontinue a program for any reason since its inception. Please feel free to contact any of our partner municipalities for references and testimonials to Simple Recycling’s commitment to upholding excellence in everything we do. (Exhibit A – References List) Simple Recycling is licensed to operate in the state of Texas by the State Attorney General.

Locations: Corporate Headquarters: 5425 Naiman Pkwy Solon, OH 44139 Houston Area Ground Operations Facility: 6116 Milwee Houston, TX 77092 DFW Area Ground Operations Facility: 350 S. Beltline Rd, Unit 116 Irving, TX 75060 Austin Area Ground Operations Facility: 2120 Grand Ave Pkwy, Suit 175 Austin, TX 78728 Ohio Ground Operations Facility: 4370 Cranwood Pkwy Warrensville Heights, OH 44128 Indiana Ground Operations Facility: 3833 E Prospect St Indianapolis, IN 46203

D. Equipment Collection Vehicles & Drivers

Trucks are clean, well maintained, clearly logo’d, and model year 2015 or Newer.

Truck models may included 16ft medium duty box trucks or long wheelbase Ford

Transit vans. (Exhibit C )

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Simple Recycling estimates a requirement of 1-2 collection vehicles for daily

collections, but will have additional vehicles and staffing during initial launch

weeks to ensure completion of collection routes on their scheduled day.

Simple Recycling will allocate as many collection trucks as necessary to ensure

excellent service and full route completion.

All drivers are highly trained, safe, courteous and thorough.

Drivers are required to wear logo’d safety apparel. (see Exhibit D)

E. Collection/Sorting Methods

Method of collection, including the materials to be provided to residents and the location where materials are to be left for collection.

Simple Recycling’s turn-key program makes it simple for both Woodlands staff and residents to understand and utilize this free, high impact environmental initiative.

Simple Recycling is committed to offering residents the most simple and easy

way to keep usable materials out of the landfill.

As part of the education and out reach program detailed below, Simple Recycling

will provide all residents designated by the Woodlands Township for recycling

with 2 high strength, draw string, custom printed green bags made with recycled

content and one labeling sticker for regular trash bags or boxes.

Items eligible for Simple Recycling include: All types of Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry,

Purses, Hats, Toys, Art, Mirrors, Blankets, Drapes/Curtains, Pillows, Sleeping

Bags, Small Furniture/Appliances, Irons, Lamps, Hairdryers, Tools,

Computers/Electronics, Dishes/Silverware, Glasses, Backpacks, small electronics

and more.

Items to be recycled are placed in green “Simple Recycling” plastic drawstring

bags (made from recycled plastic material). Every resident will receive 2 custom

printed recycling bags and 1 custom printed sticker for use on standard bags or

boxes. (See Exhibit B)

Collection of soft recyclables is run on the same collection schedule as traditional

recycling collection days. This ensures simplicity and convenience to residents

and acts as an extension of existing recycling habits.

Collection can occur “curbside” or in alleyways along side traditional recycling

containers (whichever is preferred by The Woodlands representatives prior to

the distribution of educational mailers.)

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Bags are replaced as the full ones are picked up by tying the bags to the handle

of the recycling cart, left in the newspaper slot of the mailbox or under secured

at the front door by the doormat or storm door (in that preferential order unless

The Woodlands representatives prefer otherwise).

Methods employed to ensure adherence to maintain service excellence and collection schedules, including any method you use for completion tracking.

Simple Recycling’s commitment to excellence can be attested to by any of the

many municipalities we currently provide curbside service to.

Simple Recycling’s extensive driver training programs ensure an educated and

dedicated collect team.

Simple Recycling employs GPS tracking on all of our trucks to ensure complete

and efficient collection.

Lead drivers and collections operations leaders provide on route driver training.

Collections operations leaders perform “follow along” auditing to ensure drivers

are running routes safely and efficiently.

All reported missed stops are scheduled for “go backs” within 24 hrs.

Incoming customer service calls are logged and reviewed by leadership

Customer Service

Simple Recycling maintains staffed customer service representatives from

8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday.

Residents are offered 4 means of customer service assistance including:

o Toll-free number with answer machine for off hours – 1.866.835.5068

o Email – [email protected]

o Online form submission on www.SimpleRecycling.com

o Facebook Page – Simple Recycling USA

The Woodlands Township is not required to provide customer service for Simple

Recycling related requests. Other partner cities of similar size have integrated

some or all of the following activities into their call centers:

o Call forwarding – City representative forwards resident call to

Simple Recycling directly

o Call referring – City representatives refer the resident to Simple

Recycling’s toll free number

o FAQ Response – Simple Recycling provides city staff with canned

responses for frequently asked questions. (See exhibit E)

For concerns and questions coming directly from The Woodlands city

representatives, Texas Municipal Representative, Scott Stevenson and Simple

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Recycling Company President, Adam Winfield provide their direct cell phone

numbers and are available 24/7 to address questions or concerns immediately.

Routes trucks drive safe and courteous routes through The Woodlands in

synchronization with the existing curbside recycling service collection areas.

Drivers document their vehicle condition, start/finish time, mileage and number

of pickups.

Driver routes and speeds are logged via GPS and reviewed by management to

ensure complete coverage, safe driving, and maximum efficiency.

When drivers complete their assigned route, they return to Simple Recycling’s

local facility in Houston, Texas.

Collection operations team lead reviews the submitted driver’s sheets at the end

of each day to ensure accuracy and logs them into Simple Recycling’s networked

and backed up computer system.

Simple Recycling’s IT structure and effective paper documentation ensures

complete redundancy of collection data.

Processing and Sorting of Collected Material

Simple Recycling’s fifty plus years of history and experience in the textile

recycling industry ensures that “best use” will be found for all collected material.

All material is graded and sorted based on quality and condition by Simple

Recycling or partner thrift store chains. The top quality items will be sold to

regional thrift store partners, mid-grade items are exported to international

countries and the items that are unusable are reprocessed for raw materials.

Initial sorting takes place in partnership with regional thrift store partners.

For an info graphic explaining the process (See exhibit M)

F. Prior Experience: Simple Recycling’s free, curbside recycling of clothing and home goods launched in late 2013 in Michigan. By 2016, Simple Recycling has successfully expanded its free curbside recycling programs to more than 50 municipalities in 4 states. With current service provided to over 3.0 million residents across Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, Simple Recycling is the foremost national leader and innovator in residential waste reduction. Notable communities in Texas that have adopted Simple Recycling include: Austin, TX, Sugar Land, TX, Plano, TX, Texas City, TX and many more.

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G. Key Personnel: Adam Winfield: President Adam Winfield is the President of Simple Recycling, an industry leader in curbside clothing and home goods recycling. Under Adam’s vision and leadership, Simple Recycling launched in late 2013 and has quickly become the largest and fastest growing curbside clothing recycling company in the nation. Mr. Winfield is part of a third generation family that has focused on recycling and reuse of clothing and home goods for over 50 years. Simple Recycling is an innovator in residential waste reduction and is focused on expanding Simple Recycling’s free curbside services throughout the nation. Adam is a leading authority on textile collection and recycling, having been a guest speaker at many regional and national recycling conferences including the 2015 STAR national convention. Scott Stevenson: Texas Region Municipal Representative Scott Stevenson is our Houston area partner city’s direct line of communication for any and all concerns or issues. Scott’s direct cell phone number is provided to city representatives and is available 24/7 to answer and questions that may arise. Scott’s prompt attention to requests by partner city representatives is his number one priority.

Jason Burke – Vice President of Operations Jason Burke is responsible for Simple Recycling’s custom support nationwide. Jason has over 15 years of experience with clothing and household discard donation programs. Jason’s team of support staff answer and respond to all inquiries coming through our various free customer support channels including our Toll-Free 866 customer service line, website inquiries and email requests. Jason’s passion for providing timely and effective response to all customer needs and requests is translated through his customer support team throughout the nation.

Hiring practices and training for local hires to accommodate projected workload

Simple Recycling hires only qualified drivers with insurance provider verified

driving records and e-verify confirmed eligibility.

All Simple Recycling drivers are required to pass a drug test upon hiring and are

subject to drug testing during their employment.

Driver safety training is reviewed every month with the whole collection team.

New hire drivers participate in extensive safe and courteous driving training and

well as Simple Recycling’s mission, program parameters and best practices.

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Drivers are trained with safety as the number one priority.

New hire drivers train through work sessions, ride alongs with experienced team

members, drive alongs with experienced team members, supervisor “follow

along” and gps log review validation training.

Simple Recycling’s Texas customer service team is established and consistent

because of the successful launch and execution of other programs locally and

across the state.

H. Revenue Proposal:

Simple Recycling will guarantee a rate of $20/ton for all material collected. This

rate is not tied to market fluctuations in any way and is guaranteed for the full

term of the agreement.

In addition to the $20/ton, The Woodlands will realize a reduction in waste

hauling and landfill tipping fees at an estimated rate of $48/ton.

If The Woodlands Township participation reaches an average participation rate

of 35lbs per household per year, a bonus “kicker” rate will apply an additional

$25/ton for the previous 12 months collections (at total of $45/ton in revenue).

Simple Recycling will maintain ownership of and responsibility for all collected

materials at all times, relieving any potential burden from The Woodlands

Township.

Simple Recycling takes great care in selecting down stream partners. We focus

on developing a local, circular economy as well as finding “best use” for all

collected material.

What is important to consider in determining revenue generated by a collection

program is not just the per ton rate, but the diversion tonnage driven by the

effectiveness of public education and the efficiency of collection operations.

Simple Recycling has the proven experience to maximize results in both

economic and environmental terms.

Simple Recycling estimates a diversion rate of 750,000 to 1,225,000 pounds of

clothing per year from the Woodlands Township.

With a diversion rate of 1,225,000 lbs, The Woodlands would generate an

estimated direct economic value of $27,500 revenue plus $29,400 in landfill

tipping fee savings for a total of $56,900 positive financial impact.

I. Local Presence and Community Impact

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Simple Recycling will create an estimated 25 local jobs from the partnership with The Woodlands and that material diverted from the waste stream. Those jobs include route drivers, supervisors, customer service staff, domestic sorting and resale staff, international sorting and retail staff. In addition to jobs, this circular economy will create access to high quality, low cost clothing within the Houston marketplace. Houston Area Ground Operations Facility: 6116 Milwee Houston, TX 77092

J. Public Education Program Initial Launch Education and Outreach Program:

Simple Recycling handles the entire program launch program, requiring only the

The Woodlands staff written approval of the various education and outreach

pieces.

2 weeks prior to the start date, Simple Recycling will notify the resident of the

program by sending out a post card with the City’s endorsement. (See Exhibit G)

1 week prior to the start date, Simple Recycling will send out an 8.5” x 11”

informational brochure with 2 green bags and labeling sticker for regular trash

bags or boxes. (See Exhibit H)

A third mailing is a reminder post card will be sent out the week of the start

date. (See Exhibit I)

5 weeks after the program has been in place, Simple Recycling will send a

reminder post card out to the residents. (See Exhibit J)

On-Going Education:

Simple Recycling commits to a minimum of two educational, community events

per year. Simple Recycling representatives are available for additional events

upon request.

On-Going Service Offerings:

Simple Recycling is available for specially scheduled “large collections” for

residents during regular collection hours and days. Large collections are typically

for events like move outs or garage sales.

Customer Service Education on demand:

The Woodlands & Waste Management Customer Service Employees - The

Woodlands is not required to provide direct customer service for Simple

Recycling related requests. Other partner cities of similar size have integrated

some or all of the following activities into their call centers:

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o Call forwarding – City representatives forward resident calls to

Simple Recycling directly through integration with the phone

system

o Call referring – City representatives refer the resident to Simple

Recycling’s toll free number

o FAQ Response – Simple Recycling provides city staff with canned

responses for frequently asked questions. (See exhibit E)

Traditional Trash/Recycling Hauler Collection Employees – Waste

Management’s employees responsible for collection of traditional trash and

recycling will have the following training materials available for use at the WM’s

preference.

o Simple Recycling driver training session including bag

identification, textile recycling facts and figures, “Why what you

do is important” training.

o Simple Recycling bags and tags will be provided for examples and

demonstration purposes.

o Signage for posting in dispatch area as a reminder not to

collection materials intended for Simple Recycling. (See exhibit L)

Added Value

Simple Recycling brand promise includes heavy duty, draw string bags are made

with recycled plastic content. (Exhibit B)

Simple Recycling monthly collection report and rebate for collected material is

sent within 15 days of month end.

Simple Recycling “YES” Year End Summary provided detailing national and local

collection details and trends (See exhibit N)

Simple Recycling’s fleet of collection vehicles are modern, clean, fuel efficient

and well identified with program graphics. (Exhibit D)

Simple Recycling is committed to partnership in education and outreach to help

The Woodlands its sustainability goals including integration support for

integration of textile recycling information with The Woodlands recycling

educational programs.

Simple Recycling has done extensive research on the impact of curbside recycling

on local non-profit clothing donation programs. (Exhibit O)

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Simple Recycling collection programs have been published in hundreds of

publications and news releases (Exhibit P 1-4)

• 2817 Berry Rd Houston, TX 77093 • 713-694-8483 •

Green City Recycler Proprietary Information 2

GREEN CITY RECYCLER PROPOSAL FOR SERVICES


A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Green City Recycler is pleased to submit this proposal for services to support The Woodlands Township in achieving its recycling goals by providing a textile recycling opportunity that is free to the residents, will reduce landfill costs, and generate income for The Woodlands Township.

The Woodlands Township population is expected to grow from an estimated 114,220 residents in 2016 to 122,010 residents by 2020 (The Woodlands Development Company, 2016). Given the average American is responsible for 25 pounds of textile waste per year (Hawley, 2006), The Woodlands Township will generate approximately 2.8 million pounds of Post-Consumer Textile Waste (PCTW) this year, ultimately being disposed of in the local landfill.

Green City Recycler proposes a conservative solution to remedy this problem while providing The Woodlands Township with an opportunity to be pioneers in an alternative method of PCTW collection.

The Objective

Green City Recycler is focused on helping recycle PCTW in a convenient and effective manner with a goal of reducing the waste going into our landfills, creating a more sustainable lifestyle for the residents of The Woodlands Township. By partnering with Green City Recycler, The Woodlands Township will: • Increase sustainability within The Woodlands Township by decreasing the burden on local landfills currently accommodating an estimated

85% of all PCTW (Hawley, 2006).

• The Woodlands Township will incur no expenses for the removal of PCTW.

• The Woodlands Township will not have to pay existing disposal fees to a waste management company for PCTW rescued by Green City Recycler.

• The Woodlands Township will be able to offer a more sustainable community for their residents by pioneering a new method of recycling PCTW with convenient and economical curbside service.

The Solution

• Green City Recycler will send two trucks to collect residential PCTW on pre-assigned recycling days. Green City Recycler trucks will follow existing recycling routes to decrease traffic impact and within The Woodlands Township.

• Green City Recycler will sort the PCTW from The Woodlands Township at our facility and give those discarded textiles a new purpose nationally and internationally.

Our Proposal

The Woodlands Township has a well-deserved reputation for its beauty and greenery. Green City Recycler proposes to assist The Woodlands Township to maintain its position as a leader in master-planned communities. We have developed solutions to help The Woodlands Township stay ahead of residential satisfaction with respect to recycling trends across the nation and propose that The Woodlands Township implement a



logistics-based solution focused on, not only cost-effectiveness, but income generation. Our solution easily integrates with existing waste management services and can enable The Woodlands Township to fully realize the benefits of improved recycling techniques. Most importantly, we provide all materials and pay The Woodlands Township for each metric ton collected.

Execution Strategy

Our execution strategy incorporates proven methodologies, extremely qualified project leaders, well-trained personnel, and a highly responsive approach to managing deliverables to the residents of The Woodlands Township. Following is a description of our project methods, including how the project will be developed, Green City Recycler equipment, and reasons why we suggest developing the project as described.

Residential Deliverables

• Each residential location will receive marketing materials explaining the Green City Recycler system along with 2 high quality 33-gallon eco-friendly plastic bags(color of choice to be decided by The Woodlands Township) one week prior to the commencement of service.

• Additional bags will be sent to residents by mail quarterly. Bags will also be replenished upon collection, or request.

• We request 90 days to execute program upon notification of Bid award.

Green City Recycler Trucks

• We will deploy three (3) 16-foot trucks.

• Each truck will have one (1) driver and one (1) helper.

• Two (2) trucks will be assigned collection routes while one will serve as a backup for trucks that reach maximum capacity or experience mechanical malfunctions.

• If a truck reaches 85% maximum capacity, the backup truck will be dispatched as a replacement on the collection route. (The truck returns to the facility to be emptied and then serves as the backup truck.)

• All trucks will be monitored with NexTraq® alerts for route completion as well as adherence to speed limits and route boundaries.

Green City Recycler Facility

• Once the collection route is completed, or the truck reaches 85% maximum capacity, the truck will return to our existing facility in the Houston Metro Area. The driver reports to dispatch and turns in his route sheet to verify route completion.

• All PCTW collected from The Woodlands Township will be weighed at the completion of the route and a metric tonnage report will be generated. This report will then be sent to Environmental Services every week.

• After primary sorting, the PCTW is sold to international and domestic customers, bypassing the landfills.

• Recycled PCTW is used for resale or as raw materials.

• Most importantly, none of the materials will be resold to the community; a method used by other companies who are not actual recyclers.

Expected Results

We expect our proposed solution to The Woodlands Township’s requirements to provide the following results:

Financial Benefits

• We offer The Woodlands Township an economic incentive package for every ton of textiles we collect

• Textiles collected reduce the costs for landfill fees as well as secondary environmental costs

Logistical Benefits

• Historically the only options for environmentally conscious residents to participate in textile recycling required a trip to a recycling or donation center, or arrangements had to be scheduled for a home pickup.

• The convenience of curbside service to the residents of The Woodlands Township will increase participation, and result in a more environmentally friendly community

Other Benefits

• One of the primary emissions caused by textiles that end up in landfills is methane gas. Methane is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas compared to carbon dioxide. (Kelly, 2014)



• Reducing PCTW that ends up in landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions that could pose a serious threat to future generations.

B. AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATOR

Name: Sam Ebenezer

Address: 2817 Berry Road, Houston, TX, 77093

Phone: 240-481-9532

C. COMPANY ORGANIZATION/ HISTORY

City Recycler, DBA Green City Recycler was incorporated in Houston, Texas in 2012 as C-Corporation. Green City Recycler has been operational since January 2014 and expanded operations to Austin, Texas in January 2016.

Green City Recycler has now broadened its services to include curbside pickup. • Located at 2817 Berry Road, Houston, Texas, Green City Recycler currently has collection routes servicing the Metro Area.

• Green City Recycler will begin curbside service in Leander, Texas in December 2016

A1 – Liberty International Rags Our parent company has been recycling textiles for over 20 years, in 2012 Green City Recycler was started to help communities and Municipalities with residential recycling, since 2012 our programs have been welcomed and being used by various multi-family homes, Independent School Districts. (Pasadena, Clear Lake and Round Rock). Green City Recycler will start curbside recycling for specific sub-divisions in the City of Leander Texas beginning December 2016.

D. EQUIPMENT

Dependent upon participation, 35,000 homes will require two service box trucks. Our plan is to deploy two 2017 Chevrolet 3500 express vehicles, and a 2017 Ford Transit Cutaway with 16 ft box to serve as back up. Each of our vehicles can hold a max payload of 5000 lbs. See Exhibit A

Chevrolet 3500 Express:

Our 2017 Chevrolet 3500 Express vehicles come with an additional back up camera to assist our drivers while backing up the truck. The trucks will be clearly marked with our logos on both sides.

Ford Transit Cutaway:

Our Ford Transit Cutaway vehicles, although initially more expensive, offer a very environmentally friendly solution with 45% greater fuel economy. The trucks will also be fitted with back up cameras.

Green city will provide additional trucks as necessary to ensure top quality of service. We will have additional trucks and staff during initial launch and peak season. We are happy to include any additional logo of The Woodlands Township if required.



All trucks are fitted with NexTraq® GPS system which allows:

• Tracking route completion

• The ability to set speed alerts

• Creation of geo fences

• Live electronic monitoring of all activity

All notifications are monitored by Green City Recycler Central Dispatch.

Collection Equipment:

All Green City Recycler trucks will carry rolling black carts in them; they serve to carefully handle PCTW and separate contamination.

E. COLLECTION AND SORTING METHODS

Technical Approach

Initial Delivery We will be responsible for initial marketing, weeks before the launch, we will provide the residents with information and provide them with trash bags (the trash bags will be made from recycled plastic material). The bags will be a color of the Townships’ choosing and custom marked with print saying “Green City Recycler – Curbside Clothing Recycling Program”. The bags will be 33 gallons and 1.1mm in thickness. See Exhibit B.

Collection Green City Recycler trucks will follow the existing assigned recycling days, to increase recycling convenience to residents. Green City Recycler drivers will proceed on their GIS optimized routes while the truck helpers will collect our recyclable materials that have been placed alongside other recyclable materials, with a suggested 5-foot separation. The helper then places the collected bags in the predesignated “landing area” inside the Green City Recycler truck. At the end of each street, the helper moves the collected bags from the landing area to our specialized carts while the driver moves to the next zone.

If a truck is near 85% maximum capacity, the driver will notify Central Dispatch and our backup truck will be deployed to complete the route. The full truck will head to the Green City Recycler facility for offloading collected materials. This truck & crew is then placed in stand-by mode.

Replenishment If a residential household has left recyclable materials for collection, the truck helper will leave replacement Green City Recycler bags in a door hanger package left on the residents’ door handles. Every quarter we will deliver replacement bags for all residents on our approved recycling routes. We will also provide labels that can be printed from our website that can be affixed on any trash bags/ box that residents may choose to use

Yield frequency Green City Recycler truck crews estimate the amount of PCTW collected; each bag weight is estimated and documented on Green City Recycler route sheets. Green City recycler will also keep a counter on hand to gauge participation level. This ensures we are capable of properly monitoring staffing frequency and truck frequency needed over time.

Weighing Once the Green City Recycler trucks arrive at our base of operations, the carts are offloaded and individually weighed. Each driver will report to dispatch with collected weights and route sheet, as well as notify dispatch of any problems or concerns encountered on their assigned route.

Primary Sorting After weighing, the carts are moved to the primary sorting stage within the Green City Recycler facility. Even though our high-quality plastic bags will display list of accepted materials, we assume residents will inadvertently mix non-accepted materials. Once in our primary sorting stage, warehouse staff will separate the PCTW into categories: textiles, shoes, household linens, toys, books, and other miscellaneous household items.



The textiles are placed in a baling machine to be formed into textile bales. The shoes are placed in burlap sacks. The other materials mentioned above will be placed in Gaylord boxes.

• Textile bales and shoes are sold to as credential merchandise

• Toys and other materials are also sold to distributors who buy these materials for resale in thrift stores internationally (no materials are resold inside The Woodlands Township.)

• Electronics will be recycled through electronic recyclers.

Contaminated materials will be properly disposed of via Waste Management.

Disposal

All debris and contamination will be properly discarded using our current Waste Management services.

Customer Service: We will handle all customer needs from our local office. We will have a manned customer service line between 7am and 5:30 pm Monday through Saturday after these hours all calls will be forwarded to the cell phone of our dispatch officer. Residents can request for assistance via toll free number, email – [email protected]. Online request at www.greencityrecycler.com or our Facebook page. Service requests that reach The Woodlands Township can be directed directly to our dispatch manager’s cell phone. All drivers and helpers will be educated to answer various questions that residents may have.

Project Deliverables

Following is a complete list of all deliverables:

Deliverable Description

Bags Green City Recycler will provide residents with three (2) high-quality green plastic bags that hold 33-gallons and are marked with the Green City Recycler logo, as well as a list of items we accept, a month prior the commencement of our curbside service in The Woodlands Township.

Replacement Bags Green City Recycler will provide the residents of The Woodlands Township with replacement bags in a door hanger package left on the residents’ door handles. Additional high-quality plastic bags will be mailed to each residential location on a quarterly basis. Residents will also be able to request our bags by submitting a form on the Green City Recycler website.

Marketing/Instruction Materials Green City Recycler will provide residents with all relevant marketing and informational materials two weeks prior to our service being implemented in The Woodlands Township.

Environmental Services Reporting All PCTW collected from The Woodlands Township will be weighed upon arrival to the facility. A Metric Tonnage Report will be generated and submitted to Environmental Services weekly.

F. PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Green City Recycler uses two channels to collect PCTW since January 2014:

One of our channels is to collect via recycling containers placed at major businesses and multi-family homes. We currently service an estimated 900,000 residents over 20 cities across Texas. A picture of our signature collection bin at a multi-family home: See Exhibit D.

Green City Recycler also services apartment complexes with door to door pickup, similar to curbside.


http://www.greencityrecycler.com/



How These Services Work

Placement , Collection Frequency, and Tracking We place our textile recycling container in a dead space or parking spaces. All bins are authorized by the appropriate entity. Our metal bins have proper signage on them explaining what is accepted, what is not, and who to contact in case of an emergency. Within 10 days of a business signing up for our program, a recycling bin is delivered to the designated spot. The bin is serviced at least once every week for the first month after placement

• The container is opened and emptied into our collection truck

• An estimation of PCTW inside the container is generated.

o If the container is filled to capacity, it’s estimated weight is 400 lbs.

o If the container is halfway filled, it is estimated to weigh 200 lbs.

o If the container is filled to one-quarter capacity, it is estimated to weigh 125 lbs.

This helps to analyze the yield flowing though the bin. After the first month’s yield flow calculations are analyzed, we can predicate the emptying frequency. Every bin that yields over 200 lbs is serviced twice a week anything over 400 is serviced thrice a week.

All trucks are fitted with NexTraq®. This technology allows us to monitor assigned stops on collection routes. Our drivers are trained to keep the area surrounding our bins clean and provide excellent customer service to our bin hosts.

Once the route is completed, all collected PCTW is weighed at our facility and sent to primary sorting.

Apartment door to door pickups A week prior to the designated collection date we place door hangers on each apartment door. The door hangers specify:

• The date of collection.

• Items that are accepted.

• How to handle the textiles (e.g. How to place them in bags without hangers).

• Where to place the items to be collected.

• Information about the charities we support.

• A call back number for information regarding the collection process or to get tax receipts*.

• We inform the residents rain or shine their items will be collected to be recycled.

*Our call attenders also provide information to residents who may have missed the collection date with alternative ways to recycle their used clothing at one of our drop off locations.

On the collection date, we ask the residents to place their unwanted textile items in a bag and leave them outside their front door between 7am- 10am. We start our collection routes at 10 am. We deploy a 16-ft. truck with one driver and two helpers. Each helper goes to each apartment and collects the bags filled with used textiles and loads them into the truck. The truck then moves to the next apartment complex. We have numerous communities in the Houston metro area we are currently servicing.

Secondary Market Infrastructure

Our secondary market infrastructure includes partners who recycle 150,000 lbs. of textiles daily, with an expandable processing capacity of 250,000 lbs. and higher.

A1-Liberty our parent company has been recycling textiles and shipping those to overseas markets for over 20 years and has established sales markets in Africa, Latin America, Far East and South East Asia where textiles are recycled, re-used or re-fibred.



Our Sustainability Flow – Chart

Green City Recycler takes great effort to see we are not dumping our waste materials on other nations. All our customers are carefully selected by screening how they utilize their purchased materials.

G. PERSONNEL

President: Mr. Shair Ali

Mr. Shair Ali has been in the textile recycling industry for over 20 years. Mr. Ali is the founder of Green City Recycler and is the President of A-1 Liberty International Rags. A-1 Liberty International Rags diverts 20 million pounds of used textiles away from American landfills each year. A-1 Liberty buys unsold clothing from major national non-profit charities like Goodwill and Salvation Army, as well as smaller thrift stores nationwide, and has an 80,000 square foot facility at 4411 Eastpark Drive, Houston, Texas. A1-Liberty will buy 95% of its PCTW from Green City Recycler.

CEO - Operations: Sam Ebenezer

Sam Ebenezer, as head of our company, oversees the daily operations of Green City Recycler, including (but not limited to): o Truck maintenance & monitoring

o Driver accountability

o Warehouse processes

o Sales Team focus

o Municipality liaison

Mr. Ebenezer will be the main Program Manager overseeing operations in The Woodlands Township. With over 9 years of textile recycling experience, Sam Ebenezer has vital experience managing large-scale textile recycling programs. Mr. Ebenezer worked with Planet Aid, the nation’s largest textile collector and recycler, for 7 years. He has done extensive work in managing textile recycling programs for municipalities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. While managing operations in North Carolina, Mr. Ebenezer oversaw the implementation of municipal recycling programs at solid waste facilities in Granville County, Wake County, Wilson County, Pitt County, Lee County, Davidson County, Pearson County, and Duplin County. Sam Ebenezer also worked in Malawi studying the used clothing markets in Africa to ensure a solid understanding of the complete cycle of used textiles and its effects and uses in overseas markets. Mr. Ebenezer will provide Mr. Shair Ali (President) with daily status reports on the overall progress of Green City Recycler’s services for The Woodlands. Mr. Ebenezer will spend 30 hours out of his work week in managing the program. See Addendum 1.

Dispatch Officer

The dispatch officer will supervise, hire and train the truck drivers, and helpers. He will also monitor the NexTraq GPS log system. Will conduct weekly safety meetings. Perform ride along. Communicate with each driver at the end of the route on issues or problems encountered on the route. The dispatch officer will work 40 hours a week. Dispatch will be available 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM as well as after hours for emergencies via cell phone. All call will be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes. Weekly reports will be delivered to The Woodlands Township outlining any calls and resolution.

Hiring Practices

We follow Department of Transportation (DOT) Hiring Practice Standards. See Exhibit C.

65% Overseas to Underprivileged Consumers

23% Conversion to Raw Materials12% Industrial

rags



H. REVENUE PROPOSAL

This program will incur zero cost to The Woodlands Township; all services mentioned in this Proposal for Service will be provided by Green City Recycler. Additionally, Green City Recycler will pay The Woodlands Township a rebate for every metric ton of recyclable materials collected during curbside service in The Woodlands Township. This incentive can be forwarded to community projects or local charities as The Woodlands Township sees fit. As an added benefit, all PCTW saved from the landfill decreases the amount The Woodlands Township pays in landfill fees.

Green City Recycler has a select set of customers to who we sell our materials to, all our customers are textile recyclers and can ensure all textiles are properly recycled, we do not sell textiles and materials to local thrift stores ensuring all materials will stay away from local waste stream. We take pride at being an authentic textile recycler. 96% of our textiles are sold to A-1 Liberty International rags, A1-Liberty is a leading textile recycler based in Houston, Texas. A-1 has recycles textiles to various overseas markets as outlined in above chart. Other accepted materials are sold to recyclers of those items, for example small electrical items and cell phones are sold to our network of electronic recyclers. See Exhibit J.

Green City Revenue and Cost Analysis:

Our projected annual revenue from the recycling program is based on studies from the University of Missouri which report, that at a national level, the postconsumer waste is about 35 pounds per person with a current diversion rate from the landfill of 10 lbs. per capita.

Green City Recycler is willing to offer a $25 - $50 rebate per ton of collected materials to The Woodlands Township with an additional matching charitable donation to a local non-profit where the rebate and donation do not exceed 10% of revenue.

Services Costs and The Woodlands Township Revenue

Maximum Annual Revenue (based on 25 lbs per person and 100% participation rate) $712,500

Projected Annual Operational Costs $345,000

Potential Woodlands Earnings (based on 25 lbs per person and 100% participation rate) $17,813 - $35,625 - $53,437*

Potential Local Charity Contribution (based on 25 lbs per person and 100% participation rate) $53,437 - $35,625 - $17,813*

Total Green City Recycler Earnings 296,250

Disclaimer: The prices listed in the preceding table are an estimate for the services discussed. This summary is not a warranty of final price. Estimates are subject to change if project specifications are changed or costs for outsourced services change before a contract is executed. Rebates shown represent an example of rebates and charitable contribution ranges not exceeding 10% of revenue

I. LOCAL PRESENCE AND COMMUNITY IMPACT

Green City Recycler is based in Houston, Texas we are located at 2817 Berry Road, Houston, Texas 77093. Green City Recycler supports an Austin based non-profit (End Trafficking Now). Once the bid is awarded as part of our community engagement and to increase participation we will be looking to partner with local non-profits based in The Woodlands Township. We will have an online poll for the residents of The Woodlands Township to vote for their non-profit of choice and we will support those non-profits annually.

*We are currently in conversations with The Woodlands Green and other resident suggested local charities.

J. PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

Two weeks prior to commencement of Green City Recycler’s curbside recycling program, we will deliver printed instruction materials and 2 (33 gallon) high-quality marked plastic bags (color of choice). All marketing material will be printed after review and approved by The Woodlands



Township or designated representative. Green City Recycler instruction materials will mention accepted materials and where to place our recycling bags prior for collection.

• An A+ BBB rated local door to door delivery service will be utilized to deliver the materials quarterly.

• Each time a pickup is made replacement bags will be left at the residents’ door.

• Residents can also request replacement bags at any time to be delivered by pick up team weekly.

Initial Marketing Program

• 2 weeks before launch date, Green City will notify the residents about the program via postcards. See Exhibit E.

• 1 week before launch date, Green City will send out an informational packet along with 2 green translucent bags and additional labels for other bags or boxes along with the homes first service date. See Exhibit F.

• On the week prior to the launch date we will send out a reminder on a postcard notifying the residents of their start date. See Exhibit G.

On-going Education

• We plan to do quarterly “reminder” mail campaigns every year to get residents to utilize our program.

• We will update our resident database, by purchasing list of new residents that move into The Woodlands Township, every month we will send out informational packets (“initiation packets”) with 2 bags to welcome our new residents. This will make new residents aware of our program.

• We will continue to participate in the 3R Bazaar or any other relevant community event The Township may request. Please see Exhibit H

CONCLUSION

We look forward to working with The Woodlands Township and supporting your efforts to reduce the amount of PCTW in the landfills that service your community. We are confident that we can meet the challenges ahead, and stand ready to partner with The Woodlands Township in delivering an effective and profitable solution to the Post Consumer Textile Waste taking up space in your local landfills.

For any questions please contact Sam Ebenezer at 240-481-9532 or [email protected].

Thank you for your consideration,

Sam Ebenezer Operations GCR

SOURCES

EPA. (2013). Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2013 Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Environmental Protection Agency website: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/2013_advncng_smm_fs.pdf

Hawley, J. (2006). Digging for Diamonds: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Reclaimed Textile Products. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. Retrieved 2016

Kelly, M. (2014). A more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms (Nature). Retrieved from Research at Princetion: https://blogs.princeton.edu/research/2014/03/26/a-more-potent-greenhouse-gas-than-co2-methane-emissions-will-leap-as-earth-warms-nature/

The Woodlands Development Company. (2016). The Woodlands, Texas Demographics. The Woodlands. Retrieved from http://visitthewoodlands.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TWDC-Demographics.pdf


rfp contract no. c-2016-0599, textile recycling

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