Trash essentially funds the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District’s new disposal facility in Claridon Township, Director Jennifer Jones told Claridon Township Trustees Feb. 17.
Trash essentially funds the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District’s new disposal facility in Claridon Township, Director Jennifer Jones told Claridon Township Trustees Feb. 17.
The revenue coming from bottles, cans and paper left at recycle yards is only part of the district’s annual budget, she said.
The rest of the $2.2 million a year spent primarily comes to the district from landfills, Jones said, explaining the rather convoluted way the district is funded.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requires part of the gate fee for every ton of trash dumped at landfills be kicked back to the district from which it came. If the truck has been collecting in Geauga County, the driver is required to inform the landfill personnel of the load’s origin and $5.50 per ton comes out of the gate fee back to the district.
Haulers such as Waste Management, Dumpster Bandit and Major Waste are charged between $45 to $67 per ton to dump their loads of trash, Jones said.
The district’s plan for the next five years, effective in 2026, proposes an increase in gate fees to $7.50 per ton, which comes out of that gate fee, Jones said.
“This is not billed directly to any person, household or business. Our fee payments come only from landfills,” Jones emphasized in an email. “The actual increase seen by an average family or business completely depends on how it would trickle down from the landfill raising fees at the gate and the hauler raising fees to the individual homeowners/businesses paying for their trash service.”
If haulers pass this increase on to homeowners and businesses, Jones estimated bills may go up just a few dollars per year, which the hauler would determine, she said.
“On average, each person produces about one ton of trash per year,” Jones said. “With our proposed fee increase, that would be an increase of $2 per person for the entire year.”
All haulers will be paying the increased gate fee if it is approved.
Dumpster Bandit owner Mark Horvath, of Munson Township, said the proposed increase to his customers will be very minimal and not likely to go into effect for two years.
“They’re giving us ample notice,” he said over the phone Feb. 24.
His costs are dependent on fuel, employee pay and maintenance on his 10 trucks, which operate in Geauga County, and utilize Lake County Landfill and transfer stations in the region.
If those locations raise their gate fees, he and other haulers may have to increase their customer bills, he said.
Currently, Dumpster Bandit charges residential customers $325 per year, which is the standard across the country, Horvath said.
While speaking to Claridon trustees, Jones itemized the services the district provides with no direct cost to residents, such as safe chemical disposal, recycling of household items at drop off sites and the annual tire collection.
Also, funding for roadside litter cleanup and for communities to hold paper-shredding days is figured into the budget, she said.
GTSWMD recently built a collection facility on Merritt Road that has seen a lot of traffic, Jones said.
“The Geauga facility had 8,550 residents use its services last year. That is a 46% increase over 2023 and doesn’t include that some Geauga residents visit the Trumbull (County) collection facility because it is closer,” she said in the email.
Several communities still have local drop-off sites where containers are emptied up to three a week, Jones said.
The cost to the district used to be $650,00 per year, but has gone up to about $900,000 per year, Jones told trustees, adding recycling at the Merritt Road facility runs about $500,000 per year.
So far, about one million pounds of materials per year have been received at the Merritt facility, she said.
Before the OEPA can approve the district plan, a public hearing is required. Subsequently, 60% of all boards of trustees and village and city councils in the two-county district must pass a resolution accepting the plan, Jones said.
Written comments from residents on the draft plan update will be accepted through March 5 and should be sent to: Jennifer Jones, Director, Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District, 5138 Enterprise Dr., Warren, OH 44481.
Comments may also be emailed to jenn@startrecycling.com.
The district will hold a public hearing for oral comments regarding the draft plan update at 3 p.m. March 12 at the above district office address.
For more information, visit startrecycling.com/district-management/.
