SPSA board amends commercial electronics fee to $2 per item, preserves $15 minimum

The Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) board of directors on May 28 voted to permit commercial electronic recycling under the authority’s program with a $15 minimum charge per commercial load and a $2-per-unit fee for individual items.

Executive Director Dennis Bagley told the board that staff had reconsidered a $5-per-unit proposal approved in preliminary form at the prior meeting and recommended lowering the per-item charge to $2 to avoid discouraging users from bringing material to SPSA for proper handling. “So we're recommending that the board, go back and amend the tip fee schedule to be a $15 minimum and a $2 per unit charge,” Bagley said during the public hearing portion of the meeting. No members of the public registered to speak at the hearing.

Board member Keaton asked whether e-waste is banned from the landfill. Bagley replied that e-waste is “unauthorized waste” for SPSA — it can enter the system, but staff separate unacceptable items for special handling. Bagley explained staff training at transfer stations and that unauthorized electronic items are segregated and handled by the household hazardous waste (HHW) program. He said acceptable items currently incur no disposal charge; unacceptable items (for example, certain CRT televisions) carry per-pound disposal costs.

Board members debated whether any per-item fee would drive commercial generators to conceal e-waste in general trash, increasing staff labor to intercept and segregate those loads. Bagley said the per-unit fee was intended to deter businesses or thrift stores from delivering large volumes of material to SPSA simply to avoid other disposal costs and to shift some program costs away from municipalities. Several board members supported a nominal fee rather than no fee; one board member argued that if disposal truly cost SPSA nothing, a $0 fee would encourage recycling, but Bagley said capital and labor costs made the program not cost-free.

After discussion, Board member Moore moved to adopt the executive director’s recommendation; the motion was seconded and approved in a voice vote with one member opposed. Board member Keaton cast the lone dissent. The board left the $15 minimum unchanged while reducing the per-item commercial charge from $5 to $2; the change will be incorporated into SPSA’s final fee schedule to take effect July 1, 2025 unless otherwise modified.

The board directed staff to monitor the new policy’s effect and return with an evaluation so members could reconsider the structure if commercial behavior or program costs changed.

Ending: The fee amendment was adopted as part of the board’s actions during a meeting that also considered the authority’s budget and strategic operating plan; staff will incorporate the $2 per-item rate in the final schedule and report back on program impacts.