Hillsborough County proposes 7.8% solid-waste rate increase to fund $77 million landfill expansion

Hillsborough County’s Solid Waste Management Department proposed a three-year rate plan that would raise residential solid-waste assessments by 7.8% in fiscal year 2026 to partially fund a $77 million landfill expansion, department director Damien Trammell told the Board of County Commissioners at a workshop.

"Our vision is to create a long term sustainable and financially responsible integrated solid waste system," said Damien Trammell, solid waste management department director. He said the county provides services to over 325,000 single-family homes and delivers about 1.2 million services each week.

Trammell told commissioners the county generates about 1.2 million tons of waste annually; its resource recovery facility processes about 44% of that volume, the landfill receives about 41%, and recycling accounts for roughly 15% of the remainder. He said the current landfill section in use is projected to fill by 2030 and the county needs a new section to secure another 10–15 years of disposal capacity.

Trammell outlined estimated costs and the rate impact: the landfill expansion is estimated at $77,000,000 (roughly $66,000,000 construction and the balance for engineering, design and permitting). The department proposed allocating the expansion cost over three years: $26 million in 2026, $27 million in 2027 and $23 million in 2028. To support the 2026 portion, staff proposed a 7.8% increase in the residential assessment, equal to $37.33 annually (about $3.11 per month). Trammell said of that $37.33, $28.21 would fund landfill expansion, $4.47 would go to residential collection contract adjustments and $4.65 would cover other contractual disposal cost increases.

Trammell also said contracts for residential curbside collection with Republic Services of Florida, Waste Management of Tampa and FCC Environmental Services include annual CPI adjustments; those contracts expire in 2029. He said transporting county waste outside the county if the landfill becomes unusable would likely double per-ton disposal costs.

Commissioner questions and alternatives Commissioner Williston recommended considering a permanent small capital fee on every bill or bonding to spread capital costs more equitably over time and future users. "If this was my business that I was running... it would just seem like the more equitable way would be that we predicted that," Williston said, arguing that spreading costs avoids front-loading current residents for a capital need that benefits future users.

Commissioner Cohen said the proposed increase was "a little steep" and urged staff to examine financing alternatives such as bonding or using other revenue sources to ease the immediate rate burden; Cohen also acknowledged that some increases are unavoidable because of contractual and operational cost escalations.

Staff’s proposed mitigation options Trammell said the department is pursuing two opportunities that could help mitigate future rate increases: (1) development of a renewable natural gas plant at the landfill to capture gas and generate revenue at no upfront cost to the county or ratepayers, and (2) reducing or charging for additional free services at county facilities, such as limiting free yard waste drop-offs and tire disposals once implemented in FY27.

Next steps Trammell said staff will return to the board on June 4 to request a public hearing on Aug. 6 to adopt FY26 solid-waste rates and fees. No formal rate vote was taken at the workshop; the board discussed policy options and financing approaches and asked staff for more analysis on reserves, bonding and a multi-year approach to minimize rate impacts.

Key figures and program details - Residential service reach: more than 325,000 single-family homes; about 1.2 million services weekly. - Annual waste: ~1,200,000 tons; resource recovery facility 44%, landfill 41%, recycling ~15% of the remainder. - Landfill expansion cost estimate: $77,000,000 (construction $66,000,000; remainder for design, permitting, engineering). - Proposed rate change (FY26): 7.8% increase = $37.33/year (~$3.11/month). Future projections: ~6% increases in FY27 and FY28 in staff’s plan.

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