Buncombe County kicks Waste Pro to the curb; Commissioners opt for new garbage contractor
ASHEVILLE – The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to issue a request for proposal for a new garbage and recycling contractor, opting for a new provider rather than keeping on Waste Pro, which began serving the county in 2009. They voted on the matter during the Nov. 21 commission meeting.
The Florida-based company signed its last agreement with the county in 2019, which came into effect the following year. Waste Pro initially agreed to not increase its rates until 2022. At that point, price increases hitched to the Consumer Price Index, a common measure of inflation, kicked in. The contract will run through the end of 2024.
Commissioners did not have an issue with the originally agreed-upon increases, recognizing the need to increase prices with the rate of inflation. They objected, however, when Waste Pro presented a new price schedule, which appears to exceed reasonable inflationary increases. Commissioners had the opportunity to agree to a two-year extension, which would lock in the proposed price schedule for the 42,000 Buncombe County residents who use the service.
“If Waste Pro had honored the original contracts with the CPI adjustments, I would feel comfortable doing the extensions,” Commissioner Terri Wells said. “However, since they are increasing rates for our residents beyond that CPI, I feel compelled to go to bid.”
Prices for weekly trash and biweekly recycling began at $19.21 per month for Buncombe County residents in 2020. That price slowly increased due to CPI-induced additions and other small fees. It reached $22.55 per month in 2023.
Under Waste Pro’s proposed price schedule, prices would increase to $32.05 per month by 2026. That represents a 42% increase in three years.
By comparison, inflation increased 19% from 2020 to 2023.
More: Buncombe commissioners consider Waste Pro contract, new transit system for county
Chip Gingles, a Waste Pro executive who spoke at the meeting, attributed the increased prices to pandemic-accelerated cost increases. He listed increases for truck prices, payroll, diesel fuel and noted increases in prices for contractors in other counties.
Gingles pointed to complaints among county residents, which have fallen sharply during the past few years of service.
Commissioners were not persuaded.
Board Chair Brownie Newman said that the county’s energy and environmental committee unanimously supported extending Waste Pro’s contract based on the CPI-based increases. He commended Waste Pro for the service they provide to the community, and sympathized with the headwinds the company faces, but ultimately could not agree to the new price increases the company proposed.
“I couldn’t support that without going through the due process,” Newman said.
Buncombe County Solid Waste Director Dane Pedersen said that the county would have proposals within four to five months of opening up the request to bidders.
County Manager Avril Pinder said that the board would need to vote on the criteria for the RFP in December so staff members could quickly begin soliciting bids.
By opting to open up the contract for new providers, Buncombe County locked in its initially agreed-upon rate increase for the 2024 calendar year, bringing the monthly cost to $23.64 for weekly trash and biweekly recycling pickup.
More: Woodfin asks for voluntary water conservation measures; WNC still in drought, has burn ban
More: Bullet-resistant windows, higher security approved in $40M Buncombe County school fund
Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County ditches Waste Pro. garbage collection contractor
