Big increase in Palmer Township garbage bills is predicted for next year

Palmer Township’s residents’ trash bills will go up next year. It’s just a matter of how much, according to township officials.

Township Deputy Director of Public Services Tyler Lapham said the contract with WM, formerly Waste Management, ends in April. The company declined to offer an extension, he said at a township supervisors’ meeting earlier this month.

A study compiled by the township suggests bills could go up 30 to 40% at the start of the next contract.

Lapham predicts tipping fees will go up 40%. Tipping fees are the cost landfills charge to accept garbage. Hauling fees, the cost to get the trash from your home to the landfill, are expected to double, Lapham said.

“We are looking at a drastic increase no matter what decision we make,” he said, according to the meeting minutes from Nov. 3.

The supervisors considered dropping its single-hauler system to allow residents to choose their own haulers and potentially save money. They ultimately decided to solicit bids for a new single-hauler contract, according to the meeting minutes.

Individual haulers would mean more trash trucks, more traffic and more wear and tear on township roads, Lapham warned.

Resident Ruthann Cardell said if residents can save money by choosing their own hauler, it’s worth a try. The prospective cost of trash pickup is a big concern, she said.

“This is a significant burden, especially when combined with stormwater fees and the likelihood of rising taxes,” she is quoted as saying in the meeting minutes.

Lapham said the individual hauler model makes sense for rural communities, but Palmer is densely populated.

Supervisor Joseph Armato suggested gathering more information from other municipalities but agreed to continue with a single hauler. Supervisor K. Michael Mitchell, Township Manager Robert Williams and resident Charles Diefenderfer also spoke in favor of continuing with a single hauler.

J.P. Mascaro collects recyclables for the township. Mascaro provided some preliminary estimates, suggesting that the current tipping and hauling fees of $78 and $115 would increase to $90 and $127.50 if residents were allowed to individually choose Mascaro as their hauler. Those figures are subject to contract terms, Lapham said.