The price for Montgomery County residents will remain at $30.50 per ton, plus the EPA fee and a $3 Montgomery County origin fee, for a total of $38.25 per ton.
Additionally, the minimum charge will rise from $2 to $5 per visit for anyone, including Montgomery County residents. This is the first raise in price in 24 years, the solid waste district said.
Megan O’Leary, a district spokesperson for the MCSWD, said the rate increase isn’t meant to be a money grab.
“Our budget is stable the way it is,” she said. “We’re not trying to skyrocket profits or anything off of this. It really is trying to make it more equitable for our residents and making sure that some of these local entities use their local jurisdiction to keep that traffic flow down to a minimum.”
It’s not clear how the changes will affect trash pickup companies.
Gayane Makaryan, a spokesperson for Rumpke, which contracts with multiple cities in the region for trash collection, said it’s not clear if the changes will affect any out-of-county residents who contract with Rumpke. It won’t affect in-county residents, she said.
Greene County does not have a transfer facility and trucked in 56,150 tons of trash in 2020, according to the Montgomery County waste district, so the changes could affect Greene County residents. A transfer facility is a stopping place for the trash trucks where the trash is treated before it goes on to another facility.
Clark County was the largest contributor of tonnage outside of Montgomery County to the facility last year, contributing 71,300 tons of trash to the facility.
Bob Downing, the assistant director of Environmental Services who also oversees the Montgomery County Solid Waste District, said the price increase for out-of-county residents is meant to make the process more equitable to Montgomery County taxpayers.
All Montgomery County households currently pay $21.50 annually toward the solid waste district. Other counties charge in the $50 to $60 range to put waste at their transfer facilities, so for some, it made more sense to truck the waste to Montgomery County to pay a $37 fee, Downing said.
Downing said about 22% of the waste at the transfer facility came from out of Montgomery County last year.
In addition, tire recycling rates will rise for in-county residents, from $170 per ton to $280 per ton, but residents will still be able to recycle up to 10 tires a year for free.
For out-of-county residents, the tire recycling rate will rise from $212.50 to $337 to cover recycling contract costs.
However, the changes for contracting will not affect yard waste, O’Leary said.
“Yard waste has always been and will remain free for Montgomery County residents to use,” O’Leary said.
Commercial landscaping companies will still pay on a scale rate, she said. That cost is $30 per ton for in-district companies and $36 per ton for out-of-district companies.
About the Author