Evidence
Formulas from public contracts, decoded
Private rebate agreements are confidential, but counties and states publish theirs. These five show every common pricing shape in real use. Each entry gives what the document says, what it means for the money, and a link that opens the calculator with the same structure.
| Contract | Shape | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder County, Colorado | Percentage of index minus a deduction, tiered by annual tons | P% × OBM SW High − $43.22 per ton, plus a processing fee; P = 50% (499 tons a year or less), 60% (500 to 1,500), 75% (1,501 or more) |
| Steuben County, New York | Index plus or minus a spread | PPW OCC (11) Buffalo High ± $S per ton |
| New York State OGS Award 22760 | Revenue share of the greater of floor and actual | R% × max(Recyclable Floor Price, actual sale price) |
| Kitsap County, Washington | Index-linked rebate, current month, negotiable split | Split × Pacific Northwest Secondary Material Pricing index (current month) |
| Connecticut MIRA and FCR | Revenue share above a processing cost, with a contamination threshold | 50% × (revenue − $62 per ton processing cost), residue above 5% at the operator’s cost (per the owner’s account) |
Boulder County, Colorado: tiered fiber rebate
What the document says
The county's rebate page gives one formula per volume tier: 50%, 60% or 75% of the "OBM SW High" price, less $43.22 per ton, plus a per-ton processing fee that it describes as dynamic and adjustable to product quality. Monthly rebate values are posted by the 10th of the month for the following month, and payment by cheque is expected within 45 days of the end of the delivery month. Haulers must register, sign a supplier contract and carry insurance first.
What it means for the money
"OBM SW High" is the top of the Southwest range in the Official Board Markets series, now published by Fastmarkets RISI. The fixed $43.22 matters most when the index is low: at a 50% share, the index must be above $86.44 before the formula pays anything. The county's posted OCC rebate was $0.00 per ton for January 2026 and rose each month to $26.73 for October 2026. The tiers reward volume: a hauler delivering 1,501 tons a year gets 75% of the index before the deduction, against 50% for one delivering 499.
Steuben County, New York: bids against "PPW OCC (11) Buffalo High"
What the document says
The bid tabulation for RFP PW-21-005-P lists 785 estimated tons of OCC. It shows a November 2020 market reference of $60 for OCC and bids expressed against the benchmark: "High plus $10" ($70), "High minus $5" ($55), and one bidder quoting two delivery points at "High plus $12.76/ton" and "High plus $10.76/ton" ($72.76 and $70.76). The benchmarks are listed as the Pittsburgh #2 bundles price from American Metal Market for scrap metal and "PPW OCC (11) BUFFALO HIGH" for cardboard. The sheet also notes "Gross ton = 2,200 lbs."
What it means for the money
This is the cleanest public example of an index-plus-spread bid. Every bidder priced off the same published number, so the bids differ only by the spread, which makes them easy to compare: at any index level, plus $12.76 beats plus $10, which beats minus $5, by exactly those amounts. The spread was quoted per delivery point, a reminder that freight lives inside the spread.
At the sheet’s $60 reference, the spreads gave $55 to $72.76 per ton: a $17.76 gap on 785 tons is about $13,900 a year.
New York State OGS Award 22760: revenue share with a floor
What the document says
Some lots carry a revenue-sharing component paid monthly as a credit against the contractor's invoice. The amount is the Revenue Sharing Percentage multiplied by either the Recyclable Floor Price or the actual sale price the recycler receives, whichever is greater; if the value of the recyclables falls below the floor, payment is based on the floor. Invoices must carry documentation of the actual weight recycled, the price per ton, total revenue and the share paid or credited, such as a bill of sale. The backdrop percentages and floors are minimums; bidders may offer more in each mini-bid.
What it means for the money
This shape protects the generator twice: the floor sets a minimum, and the share passes on part of any upside. Note what it is a share of: the recycler's actual sale price, which is why the documentation rule matters. Without the bill of sale you cannot check "actual".
Kitsap County, Washington: cardboard rebate on a regional index
What the document says
The RFP language quoted in the addendum makes revenue from marketing the recyclables subject to a negotiable rebate split between the county and the contractor. Commingled recyclables and scrap metal are rebated on actual revenues received each month, while the cardboard rebate is based on the Pacific Northwest Secondary Material Pricing index (recyclingmarkets.net) for the current month. Non-revenue commodities are paid as negotiated service fees.
What it means for the money
Two different references for two materials: actual revenue for mixed streams, which have no clean index, and a published regional index for cardboard, which does. "Current month" removes the lag of using last month's value. The split itself is left to negotiation, so the calculator models it as a percentage of the index.
Connecticut MIRA and FCR: a 5% contamination threshold in dispute
What the document says
As reported by Resource Recycling, the operator said its contract let it decline loads with contamination above 5%; the owner's recycling director said the contract made the operator pay to dispose of residue above 5%. The owner received a tip fee and kept 50% of revenues above a $62-per-ton processing cost. The operator said unacceptable loads were costing it about $279,000 a month and sought to end the contract without penalty. An audit it cited found 31% contamination in incoming material.
What it means for the money
The contract had a threshold; the dispute was about enforcing it. A 5% limit is common in specifications, but it only protects anyone if loads are measured and the remedy is clear. The revenue split above a processing cost is the same arithmetic as a percentage of the index minus a deduction: 50% × (price − $62) is 50% of price minus $31.
What the five have in common
Every one names its reference price precisely (a publication, region and side of range, or "actual revenue" with documentation), and every one says when and how the money moves. None relies on "market conditions". That is the standard to hold a private draft to. Have a public recycling contract we should decode? Send the link to info@recyclingcontracts.com.
Sources
- Recycling rebates for haulers (tiered fiber formula and monthly rates), Boulder County, Colorado, accessed October 2026.
- RFP PW-21-005-P, Marketing of Recyclable Materials and Scrap Metal: bid tabulation, Steuben County, New York, bid date November 12, 2020.
- Group 79013, Award 22760, Recycling and Trash Removal Services: FAQ, New York State Office of General Services, revised March 19, 2018.
- Request for Proposals 2024-038, Addendum No. 1, Kitsap County Purchasing Office, Washington, closing January 15, 2025.
- Republic files suit over Connecticut contamination, Resource Recycling, June 4, 2019.
- North America Recovered Paper: methodology and price specifications, Fastmarkets RISI, October 2024.