Eureka Recycling contract to change with St. Paul, Minnesota

The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, plans to take over customer service for Minneapolis-based Eureka Recycling’s St. Paul customers.

According to a report from KSTP-TV in St. Paul, more than 100 households within a week complained about missed pickups and ignored calls from Eureka Recycling. A new contract starting May 1 will have St. Paul take over Eureka’s customer service to help with response time and contract management.

Katie Drews, senior vice president at Eureka Recycling, tells Recycling Today the city will employ staff to take customer service calls from St. Paul residents for whom Eureka Recycling provides curbside recycling services. She says the city will inform the company of any collection issues that need to be addressed.

Drews says St. Paul’s challenges stem primarily from the fact that city alleyways are tougher for haulers to navigate. “The residents on the alleys—at their discretion—are responsible for all alley maintenance, such as snow removal and sanding/salting," she says.

The city of St. Paul originally released a request for proposals for recycling collections in September 2022.

“They included their intention to manage and perform the customer service work in the new contract, which is set to begin May 1, 2023,” Drew says. “As the costs of doing business [and] running a city have gone up significantly in the last two years, the city viewed this as a cost-saving measure and as a way to centralize both recycling and garbage collection customer service, as they are intending to bring the garbage customer service in-house as well.”