Public Works sends proposed dumpster fee increases forward with six-month review

At a Public Works meeting (date not specified), members voted to send proposed dumpster and commercial solid-waste rate increases forward for further processing and directed staff to reevaluate the rates in six months and pursue an ordinance addressing commercial dumpster cleanup.

The move responds to rising equipment and disposal costs, a landfill contract that expires in August 2025 and what county staff described as long-term underpricing of commercial dumpster services. Cliff (staff member) told the committee that “there's no money in garbage” and that the county has been losing money on dumpsters because equipment and repair costs have risen.

Cliff said staff compared local haulers including Waste Management and Republic Services and combined dumpster bills for an average market price. He reported that the county’s current landfill contract with Smith County Landfill expires August 16, 2025, and said the county now pays about $35 a ton at the local landfill; haulers that travel farther pay significantly more. “So now the dumpsters are $8.95 to a thousand,” Cliff said, adding that cardboard-capable dumpsters cost more than $1,200 apiece. He described metal thinning, leachate damage and higher repair or replacement costs as drivers of the proposed increase.

Discussion focused on balancing taxpayer burden against commercial users who currently pay below-market rates. Commissioners and staff raised enforcement and zoning questions tied to private companies and nonresident dumping near commercial dumpsters; one member suggested developing a zoning-level enforcement mechanism so private haulers that stop servicing high-visibility sites could be cited. The committee also discussed continuing the county's cardboard-recycling efforts and the possibility of dedicated pickup or balers for larger stores.

A motion to send the proposed rates forward as presented, with a required reevaluation in six months and with staff directed to explore an ordinance or code enforcement approach for private commercial dumpster sites, passed without a recorded roll-call (motion made by an unnamed member, second not specified). The committee instructed staff to coordinate with codes/zoning staff and to monitor impacts to convenience centers and county hauling costs while the landfill contract is negotiated.

The committee and staff noted the proposal is intended to reduce subsidy of commercial businesses by county taxpayers and to help cover rising costs for trucks and replacement dumpsters; staff said some dumpster customers dump infrequently and those accounts were disproportionately expensive to serve. The board did not set an immediate implementation date; staff will return with implementation details and any ordinance language when available.

Ending: The motion carried and the committee forwarded the proposed dumpster fee schedule for processing and review, with a six-month reevaluation and a staff assignment to explore an enforcement ordinance for commercial dumpster sites.