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County solid-waste official: plan proposes 65¢ annual household fee, 6% yearly increases starting 2026
Summary
Montgomery County Solid Waste Management presented a five‑year plan update to Clayton council recommending a $3.65/ton fee in 2026 (an increase of 65¢/ton) and 6% annual increases thereafter; the plan must be approved by Ohio EPA before fees take effect and the county is asking Clayton to ratify the plan at the next meeting.
John Minor, a representative of Montgomery County Solid Waste Management, briefed the Clayton City Council on the county's five‑year solid waste plan update, including a proposed fee increase that would take effect in 2026 if approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The plan recommends a 2026 per‑ton fee of $3.65, an increase of 65¢ per ton compared with current levels, and projects a 6% annual increase thereafter. "That 65¢ a ton is the average household in Montgomery County generates about 1 ton of garbage a year. So the fee is 65¢ a year," Minor told the council. He added that Clayton's per‑household tonnage is slightly higher but that the county does not yet have updated Clayton tonnage figures following recent contract changes.
Why it matters: the plan is intended to demonstrate 20 years of disposal capacity and financing, as required under Ohio law, and to meet state plan priorities such as recycling and household hazardous‑waste programs. Minor said the county must show contracts or landfill commitments that provide 20 years of capacity and still keep a 25% waste reduction goal for commercial and residential waste. The county's current contracts with regional landfill operators (including Rumpke and Waste Management's Stony Hollow facility) are being used to meet that capacity requirement.
Minor described program elements the county funds and operates, including cardboard and tire recycling (residents may drop off up to 10 free tires per year), oil/antifreeze collection, yard‑waste services, and a household hazardous waste program. He said the county has been using cash balances accumulated after a 2010 fee increase and projected that, without changes, the plan would run a deficit by approximately mid‑2026. The county maintains a development fund required to remain at a minimum of $1,000,000 to cover potential legal liabilities for municipalities; Minor said the fund currently holds a little over $2,000,000.
Minor said the financial advisory committee, made up of municipal managers and finance staff across the county, recommended a middle‑path approach rather than a single large one‑time increase. That recommendation resulted in the $3.65/ton proposal for 2026 and the 6% annual escalation. He told council the fee does not take effect until the plan is approved by Ohio EPA; the county hopes to receive approval by October 2025 and will notify municipal managers when approval is granted.
Minor asked Clayton to ratify the plan by resolution at the council's next meeting so municipalities have time to review the summary and raise questions before formal action. Amanda (City Manager) said the ratification item would be added to the next council agenda and staff would route any council questions to Minor for answers.
No council questions were raised during the presentation.
