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Buncombe County ends commercial hauler rebate program effective Dec. 31, 2025
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted to terminate a commercial hauler rebate program that paid qualifying haulers roughly $4 per ton; Solid Waste Director Dane Peterson said the program paid about $500,000 per year on average and benefited fewer than 1% of commercial accounts.
Buncombe County commissioners voted Dec. 2 to terminate the county’s commercial hauler rebate program, a policy that historically paid a per-ton rebate to large haulers delivering to county facilities.
Dane Peterson, the county’s Solid Waste director, told commissioners the program began in 2015 and has paid out roughly $500,000 annually on average (about $1.5 million over a recent three-year window). Peterson said the program’s criteria meant only about five commercial accounts qualified each year — roughly 1% of the county’s 620-plus commercial accounts — and staff recommended ending the program to improve equity and reduce administrative burden.
Peterson said rebates earned for calendar-year 2025 would still be paid under the existing application and verification process; the resolution the board approved ends the program for calendar year 2026 and thereafter, with an effective termination date of Dec. 31, 2025. Commissioners asked about diversion and pilot programs; Peterson highlighted diversion efforts such as separate handling of concrete and cardboard, and a pilot compost program intended to reduce landfill inputs and maintain landfill airspace.
Commissioner Wells moved to adopt the resolution terminating the rebate program, and Vice Chair Moore seconded. The board approved the resolution by voice vote.
The resolution cites North Carolina general statutes as the legal framework under which staff will notify vendors and implement the change; staff said they will notify all commercial account holders and provide information on alternative diversion incentives and county tipping fee policies.
