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Johnsburg shifts to pay-by-weight trash fees; 15¢ per pound starts Jan. 1, 2025
Summary
After a Solid Waste Committee report, the board agreed to charge 15¢ per pound for household trash and 15¢ per pound for C&D, effective Jan. 1, 2025, citing scale availability, hauling savings and incentives to recycle. The board directed staff to notify residents and draft materials.
The Johnsburg Town Board voted to move away from a free-trash model and set rates at 15¢ per pound for both household trash and C&D, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Committee members presented data suggesting that offering free household trash encouraged residents to dispose of C&D as household waste and depressed recycling; the weight-based system is meant to align user costs with disposal impacts and to discourage packing heavy recyclables into general trash.
Pete Hoskins, who identified himself as chairing the Solid Waste Committee, said the 15¢ figure is consistent with neighboring communities and reflects the committee's weight-based cost analysis. Committee members said the town will use installed scales to measure loads; staff confirmed card/prepay and credit-card options will be available at town hall and the transfer station. The board asked that a letter and online notices be distributed to give residents notice before the Jan. 1 start date and discussed options to replace the former $75 homeowner 'free card' with a weight-equivalent credit or targeted assistance.
The board emphasized communication: drafting a letter, a press release, social media posts and possible newspaper notice were assigned to staff to ensure residents understand payment options, rates and where recycling remains free.
