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Recycling sounds harmless enough, but it has generated fresh controversy between two old adversaries.

At issue is a $20 million contract under Metro Waste Authority’s single-stream recycling program that launches next year.

Waste Management of Iowa Inc. was awarded the contract after Metro Waste created a panel to review proposals and make a recommendation to its governing board.

An appeal process was created at the same time in case of “backlash,” said Amy Horst, a spokeswoman for Metro Waste.

That backlash came from Tony Colosimo, CEO of Artistic Waste Services Inc.

Artistic Waste finished second in the selection process, submitting a bid of $2.94 per household per month, compared with Waste Management’s bid of $2.39 per household.

Ankeny Sanitation actually submitted the lowest bid, but the evaluation panel apparently felt it did not have the capacity to handle the program, said Tom Hadden, Metro Waste’s executive director.

Over the life of the seven-year contract, Artistic Waste’s bid would have added $4 million to the program’s cost.

Colosimo, whose company has operated Metro Waste’s soon-to-be-retired curbside recycling program since 1994, said that the proposal process was stacked against him because of a conflict with Tom Hadden.

“This thing was contrived and manipulated,” Colosimo said.

Colosimo’s Phoenix C&D Recycling Inc. has been at odds with Metro Waste over the disposal of construction and demolition debris. A Polk County district judge is expect to rule in the next 30 to 60 days on a lawsuit Colosimo brought against Hadden and Metro Waste after his company was prohibited from hauling the debris to the Metro Waste landfill. Previous rulings in the case have gone in Metro Waste’s favor.

Under the single-stream recycling program that Metro Waste plans to launch in July 2009, residents of communities in Metro Waste’s service area will receive 96-gallon rolling containers in which to place recyclable materials. The program is operating now in Des Moines.

The materials do not have to be sorted. Instead, they will be hauled to a Metro Waste-approved recycling service.

Colosimo says he never had a chance to win the hauling contract because of his previous disputes with Hadden.

“It’s beyond ridiculous,” Colosimo said.

Colosimo said his bid included the use of trucks that would burn natural gas and therefore be environmentally friendly. In addition, he said, Artistic Waste would have built a natural gas depot for use by other Greater Des Moines governments.

“That’s how you build a bridge to the next level of clean-burning fuels,” he said.

However, Colosimo maintained that the Metro Waste panel should have considered the fact that Waste Management of Iowa’s corporate parent has been involved in litigation in other states.

There is no record that Waste Management of Iowa has been the target of litigation.

Hadden pointed out that even though he and Colosimo have been at odds at times, Artistic Waste has won many contracts with Metro Waste.

In the matter of the single-stream contract, Hadden said he had very little do with the selection process other than making adjustments to the initial request for proposals.

“I let the process take its pace, and I wasn’t even involved,” Hadden said.

Hadden did have the final say on whether to uphold Colosimo’s appeal.

Colosimo lost that round, but he might take the matter to Polk County District Court.