Committee waives cart-exchange fee for residents who downsize, approves amended policy 5-0

The Municipal Services Committee approved revisions to the residential cart-exchange policy and adopted an amendment to waive the $100 exchange fee when a resident downsizes their cart.

The item (25-1488) originally included a $100 payment required before any cart exchange. Committee members discussed alternatives presented by staff: (1) keep $100 for all exchanges, (2) charge $50 for some exchanges and $25 for a smaller cart, or (3) waive the fee entirely for downsizing. The Chair read three options staff had provided and proposed an amendment to waive the fee for exchanges that downsize to a smaller cart. The amendment was seconded and passed on a voice vote, 5-0, and the amended item likewise passed 5-0.

Members gave two primary rationales during debate: equity and incentives. Alders argued that waiving the fee for downsizing helps residents who have physical limitations or safety concerns (for example after surgery or when navigating snow and ice), and that smaller carts may reduce household waste. Deputy Director Loper cautioned that the city’s actual per-unit and labor costs are significant: “The can itself is close to a $100,” he said, and staff do substantial labor to pick up, exchange and (when possible) clean cans.

Committee members also noted usage figures supplied by staff: about 25–30 downsizing requests per year and roughly four to five times that number of upsize requests. Several members said they favored monitoring the policy’s fiscal impact and revisiting it if requests increase sharply.

The committee approved the amendment and the amended policy by unanimous voice vote. No additional procedural direction was recorded in the transcript.