East Point council hears that solid-waste service is running a multi-year deficit; staff, residents push for solutions

East Point’s solid-waste fund is operating in the red and will need policy choices from the city council, Solid Waste Director Mr. Moore told the council during the May 12 work session.

Why it matters: The city has historically held residential garbage rates steady while absorbing increasing hard costs (disposal fees, equipment replacement, labor). Staff said that approach has produced an ongoing deficit in the solid-waste enterprise fund; council members and staff discussed rate adjustments, commercial-hauler consolidation, targeted collections for illegal dumping and internal chargebacks as possible remedies.

What staff said: Director Moore described frequent, costly responses to illegal dumping and special pickups. He told the council that one bulk pickup could cost the city hundreds of dollars to collect and dispose, and cited examples including $7,000 and $15,000 single cleanups at sites with tires, chemicals and other material. Moore said illegal dumping can impose spillover costs on stormwater systems and require specialized disposal fees that the solid-waste fund must absorb.

Moore also explained that the…