Fee increases with new Peters Township waste contract
A fee increase is one of the changes coming with Peters Township’s new contract for collection and disposal of solid waste.
The standard household rate rises from $51 to $67 per quarter beginning Jan. 1, as established by action taken Sept. 24 by council to amend the applicable township ordinance. Monica Merrell voted against the measure.
In a separate 6-1 vote, council awarded a five-year, $10.2 million contract through 2023 to Waste Management, with Frank Arcuri opposing.
Under the agreement, the hauler will continue to pick up recyclable materials each week, even though glass and certain plastic materials no longer qualify for recycling after the start of the year.
At that point, the township will switch from a five-day weekly collection cycle to four days, meaning that many residents can expect changes in their pickup schedules.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with collections on Friday when they get postponed to Saturday because of holidays,” township manager Paul Lauer said. “Way too many times, those collections aren’t done. People don’t have a way to resolve that problem until Monday. I think going to four days is going to resolve that problem.”
Another change involves disposal of household hazardous waste and home electronics, which Waste Management will pick up after residents have made scheduling arrangements.
For the past several years, the township has provided opportunities for residents to take computer-related items, televisions and other electronics to the public works facility for recycling. Although certain times and days are specified, they often are ignored.
And since 2003, a fall household hazardous waste collection of materials including paint products, pesticides and pool chemicals has been held every other year, through 2017.
“Since collection is limited to one Saturday every two years,” Lauer wrote in a memo to council, “I am sure that much of the household hazardous waste being generated in Peters Township is being disposed of in the landfill.”
Automated collection of solid waste starts in April, implementing the system that has been used for recyclables since 2015. The township will provide carts, with smaller containers available for residents with special needs.
The new fee for waste collection reflects increases in the amounts submitted by contract bidders Waste Management and Republic Services. Township staff members recommended $67 as an amount they hope will not have to change over the life of the contract, an approach they took in preparation for the current agreement, which expires Dec. 31.
“We picked a fee that kind of mirrored what the midpoint was in that contract. And so in those first couple of years, we actually collected a few thousand dollars more than what we needed, and then in those back years, we didn’t raise those rates,” township manager Paul Lauer explained. “I’m fairly confident that over the next five years, there won’t be a rate increase in garbage collection.”
The amended ordnance also calls for a fee of $83 for residents who prefer rear-yard waste collection. Senior citizens have a 10 percent discount for both types of collection, paying $60.30 per quarter for regular pickup and $74.70 for the backyard option.
“Season-long leaf vacuum subscriptions” are available at $110 for five weekly pickups, during the four weeks preceding Thanksgiving and the week following.