St. Lucie County’s growth may lead to higher fees, putting pressure on its landfill, and residents could end up paying more for garbage collection.
Last month, the county began raising some fees.
Residents could soon pay more for garbage pickup.
By October, St. Lucie County’s Erick Gill said homeowners could be paying an additional $84 per year for garbage collection.
And as trucks arrive at the St. Lucie County landfill on Wednesday, the county’s garbage contractors and those from Port St. Lucie could be paying more to dump residents’ trash.
“It’s not something they want to do,” Gill said.
But Gill said that after a study found the landfill was losing money, it appears the county needs to take action.
“The landfill was operating at a deficit,” Gill said. “Rates haven’t increased much since the 1990s, but operational, fuel, and equipment costs have.”
Gill said growth is also a factor. With more trash being dumped, Gill said the county needs to plan for the future.
“We’re expanding Cell V so we can continue using this site and not have to look elsewhere in the county to build a new landfill,” Gill said.
Since contractors like Waste Pro and FCC will be charged more to dump trash, Gill said residents should expect an increase.
“As a business,” Gill said, “they’ll have to pass that cost on to the customer.”
The current fee for contractors to dump residents’ trash is $49 per ton. According to St. Lucie County, it could rise to $69 per ton in October.
Currently, for unincorporated residents, solid waste fees for homeowners are $384.44, which could increase to $464.
“No one wants to pay more,” Gill said. “But at the same time, this is a business. It has to operate as one, so annual expenses must match revenue.”
Image: Wflx
