Buncombe County trash pickup price increases by almost 8%, Waste Pro asks for more
ASHEVILLE - Trash pickup will come at a higher monthly rate for those in the county next year, and on top of an automatic increase of almost 8%, another increase could be coming, according to a joint Buncombe County Solid Waste Department and Waste Pro presentation at the Dec. 5 county Board of Commissioners briefing.
Waste Pro's trash pickup prices will increase to $22.16 per month on Jan. 1, county Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator Casi Lohmeyer announced during the presentation. The $1.62 per-month increase was calculated using the 2023 Consumer Price Index, a measure of the average change in consumer prices published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"That is automatic. This is just a courtesy notification of increase as outlined in the contract," Lohmeyer said of the trash pickup price increase. "The second contract cost increase is a request."
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The request is to increase the monthly price by 39 cents to help soften rising recycling costs, according to the presentation, which will need to be approved by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners before it can go into effect. Commissioners did not take up the issue at their regular meeting later that day, and the second regular meeting in December was canceled.
Waste Pro needs to pay to have recycling taken from them, and in Buncombe County, they turn to Curbie, Regional Vice President of Waste Pro Chip Gingles said during his portion of the presentation. Despite Curbie offering what Gingles called "some of the best rates I see in the region," he said its prices have still increased 225% since last year. The proposed 39-cent per month increase to the customer, he said, will help pay for these rate hikes.
"We did work with the county staff on that, because we came in asking for a number much more than that," Gingles said. "That 225% increase works out roughly to about $2.35 per home, is what the increase in recycling goods is actually costing us."
Waste Pro used to get rebates on recycled waste, but no longer is able to because of the market, Gingles told commissioners.
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The automatic increase is needed because of quickly rising operational costs, Gingles said. Fuel prices are up 60% over last year. In October 2021, Waste Pro was buying fuel at $2.54 per gallon, but now, those prices are up to $4.08 per gallon.
"One thing to note, though, the CPI, while that is helpful, doesn't cover fuel. The CPI is mainly for ... the hard costs like maintenance, costs of goods, things like that," Gingles said. "A lot of contracts have a fuel increase separate to the main number, because the fuel can fluctuate as well."
The county's contract with Waste Pro does not include a fuel price adjustment.
On the labor side, Gingles said the company is recruiting new employees locally for pickup and in Charlotte for customer service, and is also using recruitment programs like the roughly $3,500 sign-on bonus and the nearly $2,000 referral bonus to get more applicants.
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To keep customers around, Waste Pro temporarily brings employees from Charlotte to assist with shortages, putting them up in hotel rooms around Asheville.
"This is a very tough market to recruit. There definitely are labor shortages, especially in this area, but we are working hard to improve that," he said.
Waste Pro also looks to buy two new one-person garbage trucks and one new small truck in 2023, Gingles said. The small truck will help provide pickup to areas with narrow roads. All three trucks will cost the company around $900,000, he said.
When the county's current five-year contract with Waste Pro began in 2020, it did not allow Waste Pro to raise prices for the first two years, capping the monthly price at $19.21. Last year was the first eligible for the CPI increase, which caused prices to rise by 6.9% to $20.54 per month. Lohmeyer told the Citizen Times on Dec. 9 that the price increases will continue for the life of the contract.
"(This coming year) will be the fourth year of a 5-year contract with Waste Pro, so yes, we expect an annual CPI increase for the remaining duration of the contract," she said in an email.
Waste Pro has around 34,900 current subscribers, according to the presentation.
Prices could be increasing for trash drop-offs at the county landfill, too, as cost increases have impacted all of waste management, Lohmeyer said. County staff are currently evaluating the fee structure for the upcoming budget cycle.
Currently at the landfill, 33-gallon bags cost $2 per bag to dispose of, and bags under 33-gallons cost $1 per bag. For bigger loads, like pick-up trucks, vans or small trailers, the county charges $43.75 per ton with a $10 minimum.
Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County trash pickup price is rising, Waste Pro wants more
