County tax bills to reflect increase in trash collection fees

Curbside collection rates will rise for first time since 2008; landfill rates see first hike since 1993

Richland County residents and businesses will pay more to have trash collected and to discard construction debris at the County landfill to offset higher costs for solid waste operations.

Garbage and recycling collection fees are set to increase for the first time in more than a decade as part of a two-year effort, paired with cost-containment measures, to stabilize financial operations for the solid waste and recycling program.

The new rates will be included on property tax bills for 2020 scheduled to start going out this week.

For 2020, the annual rate for curbside collection will increase by $37.35, or about 15 percent; that new rate will rise by another 13 percent in 2021. The annual collection rate for residential backyards will go up by $72.83, or about 15 percent, followed by a nearly 13 percent increase in 2021.

The higher rates for disposal at the Richland County C&D Landfill went into effect Aug. 2.

HDR Engineering, a private consulting firm based in Charlotte, N.C., studied the fees for residential curbside collection and disposal at the landfill and found rate increases were necessary to cover the County’s operation costs. Rates for curbside collection, including backyard collection, have not increased since 2008, and landfill rates had not risen since 1993.
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The County’s Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, which supports operation of the Solid Waste and Recycling Division through garbage collection and disposal fees, ended the last two budget cycles with negative net balances of $5.7 million and $6.3 million, respectively. The deficits resulted from contractor costs automatically increasing by 3.5 percent each year.

County Council approved the rate increases Aug. 1 in its biennial budget, with the budget for the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund contingent on the results of the rate study. The increases, effective for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, are designed to restore the fund to a positive balance within two years.

The County’s Solid Waste and Recycling Division also has renegotiated contracts with garbage haulers to help hold down costs and save taxpayers money.

Hauler costs increased to cover equipment and personnel expenses.

While the former contracts stipulated an annual 3.5 percent increase for hauling, the County recently negotiated an increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measurement of changes in the retail prices of a mix of goods and services. The CPI for 2018 was 1.9 percent.

“Using the CPI should reduce future increases in hauler costs, resulting in a substantial savings to the County,” said Art Braswell, general manager of the Solid Waste and Recycling Division.

Increases are as follows:

Residents with questions about the new fees may call the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 576-2440.