New rates proposed for county waste station

“A big chunk of our tonnage coming in is from outside the district. And that out-of-district (waste) has a cost to it that we didn’t think met the market rate,” he said.

The tipping fee per ton would climb from $37 to $55 for out-of-county users, who account for roughly 10% of the tonnage dumped at the facility, according to the county’s proposal.

Under the proposal, the cost to Montgomery County customers would stay unchanged at $30.50 a ton. But Montgomery County property owners are already assessed a $21.50 annual fee that shows up on tax bills, said Bob Downing, Montgomery County Environmental Services assistant director.

“When folks from out of Montgomery County come to the facility, they did not have to pay that charge,” he said.

The public hearing is scheduled Aug. 24 during the regular 1:30 p.m. Montgomery County Commission meeting. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal directly following the hearing. If approved, the rate changes would go into effect Jan. 1, according to Environmental Services, the county division which operates the facility.

A majority of the tonnage that comes from outside the district arrives from Clark County. In 2020, customers from Clark County dumped 29,302 tons at the facility, accounting for about 7% of that year’s tonnage. Greene County users accounted for roughly 1.5% of the tonnage, while those from Butler and Warren counties combined for another 1.5%.

The Montgomery County Solid Waste District consists of 28 municipalities and accounts for about 90% of regular waste tonnage that passes through the transfer station.

According to the county, disposal fees haven’t been raised in 24 years. Tipping fees on regular waste brought in nearly $13.2 million in 2020. If the tonnage remains about the same, the proposed increase to out-of-district customers could result in an additional $788,616 a year.

But Colbert said the goal of the rate proposal is to actually reduce out-of-district use of the county’s waste transfer facility at 1001 Encrete Lane in Moraine.

“That’s what we want to do,” he said. “We want less tonnage to go to the landfill, because that then saves the county money.”

Downing said tire disposal is a service that currently loses money for the county. It now costs the county $234.50 per ton but is charging only $170 per ton.

Under the rate change proposal, Montgomery County residents will still get to dispose of 10 tires annually for free, but the rate would jump to $240 a ton for county residents and $337 for those outside the waste district.

The waste district also aims to recoup part of $90,000 it pays in annual credit card fees by passing along a 2.3% charge to customers, according to the proposal.

The proposed changes also include closing weekday operations an hour earlier at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. Currently, just 1.5% of the total number of customers arrive during the last hour each day on average, Downing said.

Each visit to the facility is also accompanied by a $4.75 Environmental Protection Agency fee and $3 per ton state-mandated generation fee.