Trash Trivia Quiz

It’s been two months since the start of the new service.  Here’s your chance to show just how much you’ve learned during that time.  Send me an email (uapetition@aol.com) with your answers to the quiz by midnight of Sunday, June 8.  The winner, to be announced on Wednesday, June 11, will win a free “UA Reserve Note” (i.e. trash sticker).  In the case of a tie, the first 3 winning entries (as determined by date/time of email) will receive a sticker.

All of the multiple choice questions are worth a point each and come straight from this website.  The bonus questions are also worth one point each, and can be found through an Internet search.

If anything is unclear, just email me.  Good Luck! 

        

1. The following perks were offered under the old service.  Which are NOT offered with the new service?

2. In the July 2, 2007 meeting, the Assistant City Manager tells Council that it is “critical” that they make a quick decision because of a “window” that would be closing at the end of 2007.  This “window” refers to:

(a):  Terms in the agreement with city workers that prevented the City from making “major solid waste division staff changes” after this date.  These terms did indeed exist.

(b):  Expiration dates in the proposals submitted by the three bidders.  These dates did indeed exist.

(c):  Terms in the agreement with city workers that prevented the City from making “major solid waste division staff changes” after this date.  These terms did NOT exist.   City Council was misled into thinking something had to be done by the end of 2007.  This was not true.  Actually, it was the opposite.  None of the solid waste personnel could be laid off until after January 1, 2008.  What is of concern is that the City Manager, who was a signatory on the agreement and must have known this, sat in silence while the Assistant City Manager made this statement.

(d):  Expiration dates in the proposals submitted by the three bidders.  These dates did NOT exist.

3. The contract states that recyclables and yard waste for those persons with medical exemptions are to be picked up:

(a):  Garage-side or door-side.

(b):  Curb-side.

(c):  The contract does not specify.  This is causing a problem.  For the last two months city employees (NOT the contractor) have been picking up recyclables and yard waste for persons with medical exemptions, and we've been paying for that.  If the city wants them to be picked up garage-side by the contractor, chances are it will have to pay extra, further eroding the cost savings.

4. The difference between the December 10, 2007 and December 14, 2007 vote on the trash ordinance was:

(a): The addition of important contract stipulations.

(b): A change in the authorized expenditure level.

(c): A change in start date for the new service.

(d): The use of the “emergency clause” to prevent a vote by the residents.  The city was determined that residents would have no say whatsoever in this decision.  There was absolutely nothing that happened between those dates to cause this to be an "emergency."

5. The contract ensures that all workers utilized by the contractor will have passed criminal and sexual predator background checks (T/F), and that the city can audit this information if necessary (T/F).

(a): True/True

(b): True/False

(c): False/True

(d): False/False  This is a true concern.  Even though during one of the pre-award meetings, the contractor agreed to put this clause in the contract, the city neglected to do so.  The city is now impotent to insure the safety of its residents, much less to enforce ordinance 507.18, that prohibits convicted sexual predators from living or working within 1000 feet of any school, preschool, daycare facility, public park, swimming pool, library, or playground.

6. A violation of UA’s Codified Ordinance 517.15:

(a):  Exists if commercial garbage trucks are on the streets between the hours of 7:00 PM and 7:30 AM.

(b):  Is considered to be a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(c):  Interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life, property and recreation due to excessive noise levels.

(d):  All of the above.  To date, the contractor has been exempted each and every day from complying with this ordinance, yet has held other haulers and workers accountable. 

7. Council stated that the switch from city employees to an independent contractor would save $___ over 5 years. An independent audit of this figure showed it to be $___.

(a):  $5 million/$5 million

(b):  $2.5 million/$2.5 million

(c):  $2.5 million/$1 million

(d):  $2.5 million/$211,000  Half of the claimed savings was due to the change from garage-side to curb-side service.  Keeping garage-side service would have amounted to a mere $39.00 extra per household.  The other $2.5 million in claimed savings was not there. Significant mistakes made by the city Finance Director in its bid analysis, favoring the contractor scenario.  Considering the extra expense that has been incurred due to the use of additional city resources since contract start, it is likely that we are now paying more with the new service. 

8. Under the old system, recycling of used motor oil was ___.  According to the new contract, recycling of used motor oil is ___.

(a):  Taken care of by the city employees … the resident’s responsibility, because the contract does not state how it is to be disposed of by the contractor.  The city neglected to put any stipulations into the contract regarding how used motor oil would be treated.  Under the old service, it was picked up and trasnported to the city's garage, where it was recycled.  Under the new service, residents have seen contractor personnel dumping the used motor oil into the garbage truck which is destined for the landfill.

(b):  The resident’s responsibility … the resident’s responsibility, because the contract does not state how it is to be disposed of by the contractor.

(c):  Taken care of by the city employees … taken care of by the contractor,

(d):  The resident’s responsibility … taken care of by the contractor.

9. If one ton of paper is diverted from recycling to a landfill, this costs the city ___ per ton.  In 2007, the city received approximately ____ dollars from recycling paper products.

(a):  $15.00/$50,000

(b):  $33.50/$100,000

(c):  $50.00/$150,000

(d):  $75.00/$225,000  I was wrong on this due to the increase in paper prices.  Actually, each ton of paper that is diverted from the recycling station to the landfill currently costs the city $106.00 ($33.50 landfill charges avoided, plus $72.50 paid by the recycler to the city).  Historically, the city has generated approximately 80 tons per week.  At current paper prices, this means a savings of $440,000 per year.

10. In order to have a referendum placed on the ballot, a petition must contain valid signatures from what percentage of voters in the last gubernatorial election?  What is this percentage for recall of a Council member?

(a):  10% /10%

(b):  10%/15%  This is approximately 1400 and 2100 signatures, respectively. 

(c):  15%/10%

(d):  15%/15%

Bonus Questions

1. A rule of thumb is that the damage to roads due to travel by one garbage truck is equivalent to the travel of how many passenger cars? (You are right if you are within 150 cars of the answer.)  Answer:  1000.  The wear-and-tear done by garbage trucks to residential streets is significant.  The average residential street normally has 250-500 cars per day, so the passage of one garbage truck is equal to 2-4 days' worth of traffic. 

2. What is the approximate fuel usage (miles per gallon) of a garbage truck? (You are right if you are within 2 mpg of the answer.) Answer:  Between 2.5 and 4.5 miles per gallon.  Garbage trucks do a lot of stop-and-start travel.  Combine that with the weight (roughly 16 tons empty and 22 tons at full capacity), and long-term damage to asphalt streets results in high maintenance charges.