Lower Trash Fees Vs. More Choices

By Beccy Tanner, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

Jun. 3–Other cities are saving

If you live in Bel Aire, Park City or Cheney, you can pay $15 or $16 a month for trash service that includes curbside recycling — if you use a trash hauler chosen by the city.

If you live in Wichita, you can choose your hauler and pay anywhere from $16 to $23 a month for trash service. You can pay more if you want curbside recycling and other services — up to $30 a month total.

This week, Sedgwick County commissioners will wrestle with whether to ask or require all cities in the county to franchise their trash service. Commissioners have been split on the issue; they are expected to vote Wednesday.

The discussion balances price reductions and ease of recycling against the freedom to choose. Residents in some smaller cities in the county that already franchise trash service have differing opinions about it.

Ellie Skokan has been living green for years, so she got on board quickly five years ago when Bel Aire franchised its trash hauling and required everyone to pay $4 a month for curbside recycling service whether they used it or not.

She pays $16.40 a month for trash and recycling. She recycles all her glass, plastics and cardboard.

“I’m sure it is cheaper,” she said.

Bel Aire allows people to choose a different trash company than the franchisee if they prefer. Skip Nelson has done that, knowing he will pay extra.

“They offer generic trash service,” Nelson said. “There are certain things they won’t take. I use a trash service that will take anything.”

Other towns’ views

Park City opted to franchise its trash service in October. Residents pay $11 a month for trash pickup and $4.50 a month for curbside recycling.

“I broke the 4-4 vote,” Mayor Dee Stuart said. “We’ve had far fewer complaints since we started doing this. It’s cut our trash rate in half and we’re giving people more recycling services. It’s so easy.”

In fact, Stuart said, these days she’s likely to have people stop her in the grocery store to tell her the trash service is a good deal.

Residents still can choose a different trash hauler, but the franchise company has the majority of residential trash business.

Since January, Cheney has franchised its trash pickup. Residents pay $16 a month.

Before the switch, Cheney Mayor Tom Rosenhagen said, some residents were concerned the city was taking away their freedom of choice. But he hasn’t heard any complaints.

Across the county, Derby resident Derek Smith is hoping his hometown will franchise trash service. City officials are discussing it and plan to decide by September.

In the meantime, Smith pays $55 every three months and has no recycling options.

“I hear those trash trucks come every morning,” he said. “I’d rather it be one trash hauler than half a dozen trucks on my street. We’d get better service and lower rates. I am ready and willing to go to franchising. It makes sense.”

Everett Reese, owner of Derby Disposal trash service, said he hopes more cities will franchise.

“We are all for it,” he said. “With costs increasing, we’d like to do more consolidating. It only makes sense.

“I’d rather drive one block and pick up 100 stops than drive all over town for 100 stops.”

But some other trash haulers oppose franchising.

“We are very worried and we are concerned,” said Jim Spencer, division vice president of Waste Connections. “We have put a tremendous amount of assets in the infrastructure. We have bought and built trucks, buildings, landfills and a transfer station. We have a $25 million investment in trucks, alone. We have a $100 million investment that becomes in jeopardy just for Waste Connections. That’s not talking about the independent haulers whose whole livelihood is tied up in investment and facilities. This has the possibility of putting them out of business.”

Joplin, Mo.

Other cities in the Midwest have consolidated trash hauling, either by franchising or by making it a government service.

Joplin, Mo., locked in a rate of $7.33 a month for its residents when it signed a contract with a private hauler five years ago.

The contract was “made in 2004 before gas prices got ridiculous,” said Mary Anne Phillips, Joplin recycling coordinator. “The trash hauler has been crying that the fuel prices are killing us. But our job is to look out for our citizens and the trash boys knew we were locking them in for five years.”

She expects the rate to go up when the contract is renegotiated soon. But even if it doubles, it will still be cheaper than what Joplin residents paid when they chose their own companies, she said.

“We decided we owed it to our citizens to get the prices way down,” Phillips said. “It’s fabulous for us because this way, no one has an excuse for having trash in their backyard or stacked up on the curb.”

June 10 deadline

Sedgwick County commissioners face a June 10 deadline to decide on franchising and other trash issues. That’s when the county must give the state an updated plan for handling solid waste.

“I’m favoring including in our plan the requirement that cities in Sedgwick County franchise or contract their trash collection,” said Commissioner Dave Unruh. “We need to reduce the pressure on our landfill and reduce the per capita daily trash production. In order to do that, we have to make recycling more convenient. I think we have to change our system on trash disposal to achieve those goals without putting the cost on our citizens.”

Commissioner Kelly Parks said he personally would like softer language suggesting commissioners “ask” instead of “require” the changes in trash service.

“If we demand that of the cities, they can opt out,” Parks said. “They have home rule and could certainly opt out…. I don’t like the term mandatory. I don’t want to run the small person out of business.”

Wichita City Council members have not made a decision.

“Some of us don’t think franchise is the way to go,” said City Council member Sue Schlapp. “If the county were to do that, we would have home rule. The City Council is not unanimous. We will wait and see what the county does.”

Reach Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or btanner@wichitaeagle.com.

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