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Harrisville considers monitored dumpsters and fee changes as Waste Management contract nears renewal
Summary
With the city’s contract with Waste Management expiring in June 2025, staff told council they are evaluating options including a monitored dumpster program, nominal user fees, and possible transfer of spring/fall cleanup costs to the garbage enterprise fund.
City staff told the Harrisville City Council that the contract with the city’s current waste hauler (Waste Management) is due to expire in June 2025 and recommended council attention to service design and costs before renewal.
“Please be mindful that our recycle program is tied to our garbage services under the current contract,” a staff member said, noting that participation in recycling currently lowers the city’s garbage rate under the existing contract. Staff said a Waste Management representative will be asked to present options to the council this spring before any decision on renewal.
Council and staff spent substantial time discussing the city’s spring/fall cleanup and park dumpsters, where staff reported steady costs—roughly $6,000–$7,000 per cleanup—and ongoing misuse by nonresidents and commercial users. Staff proposed a set of options: moving public dumpsters to a secured public‑works location and requiring proof of residency, stationing employees to monitor use during high-demand periods, charging a nominal fee per vehicle/load, or shifting cleanup costs from the general fund to the garbage enterprise fund.
“ We had it open over a weekend one time and we just couldn’t keep up with it,” a staff presenter said in describing weekend misuse and staffing needs. Staff warned that adding monitoring or evening/weekend hours would require additional staff time and associated costs, which could offset savings. The presenters said staff will bring a formal recommendation to the council; one practical option proposed was to pilot a monitored site in April during the spring cleanup.
No contract decision was made at the work session. Staff said they will pursue a presentation from Waste Management and prepare an agenda item in February so the council can decide whether to pilot monitored dumpsters, impose a nominal usage fee, or continue the current approach.
