Trash fees to be based on amount of residents’ refuse
by Lisa Duckers Residents will begin paying garbage-hauling fees based on the amount of trash they generate, the City Council decided Tuesday. In addition, the city’s trash hauler will have to set aside more waste for recycling and other green measures. Currently the City Council charges a flat fee for trash removal, but the council decided to implement a two-tiered structure as it prepares to seek bidders for a new municipal trash hauling contract. Companies will be asked to compete for the new contract in August. A higher fee for a larger trash load is expected to provide a financial incentive for residents to reduce waste, and to recycle. Each single-family household will be able to use 35-gallon, 64-gallon or 96-gallon carts. A 35-gallon cart will cost $4 a month, a 64-gallon cart will cost $6 a month, and a 96-gallon cart will cost $8 a month. Most residents currently use 64-gallon containers. Blue recycling carts and green waste carts will continue to be distributed to residents and serviced at no additional cost. The current contract, held by Waste Management and set to expire in May 2011, charges residents a flat fee of $13.74 a month. “This is a very important part of the…
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