CITY OF ALHAMBRA
RFP2M25-28
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
FOR
ALHAMBRA SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
SERVICES AGREEMENT AUDIT
PROPOSALS DUE BY:
January 13, 2026
at 5:00 p.m.
Management Services’ Office
111 South First Street
Alhambra, California 91801
Attn: Lita Cahuana, Recycling Assistant
lcahuana@alhambraca.gov
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CITY OF ALHAMBRA
REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT .......................................................................................... 3
II. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 3
A. CITY OF ALHAMBRA ………….................................................................................. 3
B. STATE MANDATES……………………………………………………………….…………................... 3-6
III. SCOPE OF WORK ............................................................................................................. 6-7
IV. REQUIRED PROPOSAL INFORMATION ............................................................................ 7-8
A. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL ......................................................................................... 7
B. COST PROPOSAL ……………………………….................................................................. 7
C. REFERENCES ………………………………........................................................................ 8
V. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA.................................................................................... 8
VI. GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................. 8-9
VII. SCHEDULE ………………….................................................................................................... 10
VIII. SUBMITTAL …………………................................................................................................. 10
VIII. ATTACHMENT A.............................................................................................................. 11-24
IX. ATTACHMENT B................................................................................................................. 25
X. ATTACHMENT C.................................................................................................................. 26
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I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Alhambra (“City”) is requesting a proposal from qualified firms to audit the City’s Solid
Waste Management Services Agreement (“Agreement”) for the rate year of 2023-2024. The
consultant selected through this process will serve as an independent contractor to work with
City and Republic Services (“waste hauler”) to review and evaluate said project.
II. BACKGROUND
The City wishes to request proposals from qualified firms to conduct an audit to the City’s Solid
Waste Management Services Agreement, including, but not limited to the compliance with terms
of the Agreement; customer service levels and billing; fee payments; receipts; tonnage;
complaint records; compliance with state recycling and organics mandates and verification of
diversion rates. The selected firm should be familiar with the tasks necessary to meet the
requirements of AB 939 (The Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989), SB 1374 (Mandatory
construction diversion programming of 2002), California Green Building Code (2014 and
forward), AB 341 (Mandatory commercial recycling act), AB 1826 (Mandatory Organics Waste
Recycling), SB 1383 (California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy), diversion
reporting, and waste hauler billing.
A. City of Alhambra: The City of Alhambra was incorporated in 1903. Known as the Gateway to
the San Gabriel Valley, Alhambra is situated 8 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, and the City’s
boundaries encompass an area of 7.63 square miles. The City boasts a diverse population of over
80,000 residents, with approximately 52% reporting Asian origin, 35% reporting Hispanic or
Latino origin, and 22% reporting white origin. The median age of residents is 41, and 72% of
residents identify as white collar and 27% identify as blue collar.
In addition to its wide range of ethnic groups, the City is comprised of a robust community of
businesses. 25,626 employers are located in the City, and many popular shops and restaurants
are clustered in the City’s downtown region on Main Street. Also located on Main Street,
Alhambra’s Auto Row consists of a variety of car dealerships and other auto-related businesses.
Republic Services provides integrated waste management services for the City. Trash, recycling,
and organics collection are provided at a bundled rate and offered to all residents and
commercial businesses. Residents and businesses must subscribe to trash, recycle and organics
waste services with the designated waste hauler. Exceptions for businesses for recycle and
organics services may be City-approved with a SB 1383 waiver for de minimis, space limitation,
and/or backhaul/3rd party services. Contact information for Republic Services is available on the
City’s web page at www.alhambraca.gov/recycle.
B. State Mandates:
AB 341 – Mandatory Commercial Recycling (2011)
In 2011, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 341 (AB 341), which established the Mandatory
Commercial Recycling program. The law requires all businesses that generate four (4) cubic yards
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or more of solid waste per week to implement a recycling program. Its goal is to help California
achieve a 75% statewide recycling rate by 2020.
Under AB 341, businesses and public entities, as well as multifamily dwellings with five (5) or
more units, must arrange for recycling services. Compliance can be achieved by one or more of
the following actions:
• Subscribing to recycling collection service(s) through a hauler
• Arranging for pickup of recyclable materials
• Subscribing to a mixed-waste recycling service that provides diversion comparable to
source-separated recycling
AB 341 also requires local jurisdictions to implement commercial recycling programs that include
education, outreach, and monitoring of businesses. Each jurisdiction must report its progress
annually to CalRecycle through its Electronic Annual Report (EAR), detailing program
implementation, education efforts, monitoring, enforcement, and any applicable exemptions.
AB 1826 – Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling (2014)
AB 1826, passed in 2014, requires businesses and multifamily properties with five (5) or more
units to recycle organic waste. Organic waste includes food scraps, food-soiled paper and green
yard waste. Jurisdictions were required to begin implementing programs on January 1, 2016, and
businesses became subject to phased compliance thresholds based on how much waste they
generate.
Key Timeline & Thresholds:
• January 1, 2016: Jurisdictions must implement organic recycling programs and conduct
outreach.
• April 1, 2016: Businesses generating 8+ cubic yards of organic waste/week must recycle
organics waste.
• January 1, 2017: Threshold lowers to 4+ cubic yards of organic waste/week.
• January 1, 2019: Businesses generating 4+ cubic yards of commercial solid waste/week
must recycle organics waste.
• State Reviews (2018 & 2020): CalRecycle evaluates statewide progress. If the statewide
organic waste disposal target of 50% is not achieved, the requirement may expand to
businesses generating 2+ cubic yards/week. Certain exemptions may also be eliminated.
SB 1383 - Short-Lived Climate Pollutants: Organic Waste Reduction (2016)
In 2016, the State of California enacted Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) to reduce emissions of short-
lived climate pollutants through the mandatory reduction of organic waste disposal. The
legislation established a statewide target to reduce organic waste disposal by 50% below 2014
levels by 2020, and by 75% by 2025, as well as to recover at least 20% of currently disposed edible
food for human consumption by 2025.
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Effective January 1, 2022, SB 1383 regulations require all jurisdictions to implement programs
ensuring the collection and diversion of organic waste, including food scraps, yard trimmings,
paper, and other compostable materials, from all residential, commercial, and public sector
generators. Jurisdictions must provide:
• Organic waste collection services to all generators;
• Education and outreach to residents and businesses;
• Monitoring and enforcement to ensure compliance; and
• Procurement of recovered organic products such as compost, mulch, and renewable gas
to meet state-mandated procurement targets.
The law also establishes requirements for edible food recovery, mandating that Tier 1 and Tier 2
food generators (such as supermarkets, grocery stores, and large food service providers) arrange
for recovery of edible food to feed people in need.
Jurisdictions are required to report compliance activities annually to CalRecycle and to enforce
local regulations to achieve statewide organic waste reduction and edible food recovery goals.
AB 939 - Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989
California Assembly Bill 939 (AB 939), also known as the Integrated Waste Management Act of
1989, established the foundation for California’s waste reduction and recycling framework. The
law mandates that all cities and counties in the state reduce the amount of waste disposed in
landfills by implementing integrated waste management programs.
Under AB 939, each jurisdiction must:
• Divert at least 50% of solid waste from landfill disposal through source reduction,
recycling, and composting programs (with later legislation increasing targets).
• Prepare and implement a Source Reduction and Recycling Element (SRRE) to outline
strategies for achieving diversion goals.
• Report annually to CalRecycle on waste generation, diversion, and disposal activities.
• Demonstrate continuous progress toward waste reduction and recycling compliance
SB 1374 - Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste Diversion
SB 1374 (Kuehl, Chapter 501, Statutes of 2002) directed the state’s waste-management regulator
(formerly the California Integrated Waste Management Board, now CalRecycle) to adopt a model
ordinance for local jurisdictions to divert a specified percentage of construction and demolition
(C&D) waste from landfills.
Key Requirements:
• By March 1, 2004, the regulator must adopt one or more model ordinances that
jurisdictions may use (or modify) to require diversion of 50%–75% (by weight) of C&D
waste from landfills.
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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
