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The cost for recycling and trash collection services in Fayetteville could soon change.
City Council members this week approved a $47,932 contract with MSW Consultants, LLC for the development of a rate study for the Recycling and Trash Collection Division.
City Finance Director Paul Becker said there has not been a comprehensive rate study conducted for recycling and trash services since 1993.
“To say it’s dated is doing it a disservice,” Becker told council members on Tuesday. “It’s long outdated.”
Becker said the study will establish rates needed to help implement the city’s new Solid Waste Reduction, Diversion and Recycling Master Plan that council members adopted last February. The study, he said, must take into consideration any capital improvements needed and any personnel required to fulfill the steps outlined in the new plan.
Becker said MSW has national experience and that he was impressed with their body of work.
According to the Florida-based consulting firm’s website, the company in 2017 completed a comprehensive solid waste system analysis for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, a statewide waste characterization for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and an economic analysis of waste plastics-to-oil sourcing in New York State for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
“I’m certainly confident they have the expertise,” Becker said, noting that the price tag for the study was also attractive. “To get this study done for roughly $50,000 with contingency is, believe me, quite a deal.”
Current Rates
Fayetteville currently utilizes a “Pay As You Throw” residential trash program. Residents have a choice of three sizes for their trash cart. Each cart size has a different rate. A 32-gallon cart costs $9.68 each month, a 64-gallon cart is $14.78 monthly, and a 96-gallon cart is $20.98 per month.
Residences may also use up to two free recycling bins.
Trash fees for apartments depend on whether the complex is on an individual or master water meter. Some landlords choose to include those fees in the tenant’s rent. The rate for apartment recycling services is 97 cents per unit.
