Collection Concerns

A garbage collection company called Haulin’ Trash, which served residents in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia, recently shut down. The company’s closure was unexpected, and residents are scrambling to find alternatives to deal with their trash. Fortunately, Loudoun County established a temporary drop-off location for those affected, and Fairfax County shared the names of authorized waste collectors with its residents.

For a county in North Carolina, waste collection services are about to get more expensive. Waste Pro, which has an ongoing contract with Buncombe County, will increase waste collection fees by 7.9% in 2023. According to Anjali Patel, writing for WLOS, the fee increase is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The increase amounts to less than $2 per household per month. There could also be an increase in fees for recycling services. However, that fee increase would need to be approved by county commissioners first.

The City of Brighton in Iowa is planning to raise monthly fees for recycling and solid waste disposal by $3 per residence that uses a weekly trash pickup service. The mayor, Melvin Rich, remarked that “the increased rates were necessary to keep up with the market demands of waste collection contractors, as several small cities have ended spring and fall cleanup days,” according to Kalen McCain, writing for Southeast Iowa Union.

Meanwhile, in Macon-Bibb County, Georgia, a proposal for changes to commercial trash removal procedures is being considered. Currently, a private company contracts with most property and business owners to handle commercial trash collection in the growing town of Macon. The County is considering fining businesses in downtown Macon with accumulated garbage that is greater than two cubic yards. The proposal also includes establishing a rule that each business must sign a contract with its own trash pickup company and acquire its own dumpster.