Politics & Government

Lower Trash Rates Coming for Unincorporated County

Homeowners south of Highway 40 will save between $30 and $52 a year when the county's new waste hauler contracts begin Oct. 3.

It seems like every time you turn around, prices are going up on everything from food and gas to utilities and insurance. Well here’s some good news--if you live in unincorporated St. Louis County, your rates for trash service will be going down.

The lower rates will impact unincorporated areas of the county, including Affton.

The St. Louis County Council recently accepted bids from IESI and Allied Waste for trash service contracts for the county’s eight trash districts. In March, the council approved extending the length of contracts with its waste haulers from three to five years in hopes of receiving better rates.

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“The council approved the lowest bids, but the paperwork is still in progress, and it won’t be official until both parties sign the contracts,” said John Haasis, manager of the county’s solid waste program. “The five-year contract helped drive prices down for the haulers on purchases of additional equipment, which resulted in lower prices for our residents.”

In trash districts south of Highway 40, homeowners can expect to save between $30 and $52 a year when the new contracts begin Oct. 3. See table below for current and future pricing. Additionally, residents will no longer have to pay a monthly rental fee for their recycling carts with the new contracts.

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Currently, IESI provides service to Districts 1, 2 and 8 and Allied provides service to Districts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Under the new contracts, ISEI will provide service to Districts 2 and 4 and Allied will provide services to the remaining districts. Affton lies in District 5, while part of Concord falls in District 7.

Haasis said the waste haulers bid on contracts in each district separately. He said that residents living in districts in which their hauler will change would be receiving information on new pick up times from their new hauler.

The council voted 5-2 to approve the bids in each of the eight trash districts, stated minutes from the May 10 meeting. Council members Steve Stenger, District 6, and Greg Quinn, District 7, cast the opposing votes in each decision. Neither could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Stenger and Quinn also voted against extending the length of the contracts for the county’s haulers. Stenger had said he was concerned that longer contracts would make it more difficult for smaller hauling companies to compete.

In 2008, the county established eight trash districts as part its waste management code. The creation of the districts enabled the county to negotiate contracts with haulers and provided for unified waste collection, recycling and bulky trash pickup services for residents.

Prior to that, residents in unincorporated portions of the county could choose their own haulers, which resulted in several different trash trucks driving through the same neighborhoods at various times.

Controversy followed the change and sparked several lawsuits from residents who were opposed to the county choosing their hauler. Much of the opposition stemmed from residents in Stenger’s district, which encompasses the majority of South County. Hauling companies that bid on, but did not receive contracts from the county were also upset.

Allied Waste and IESI provide collection services for 86,396 households in unincorporated St. Louis County.

The following table shows current and future rates for the county's trash districts south of Highway 40. Haasis said the rates for each district are different depending on how many households each district serves and its collection history. He said that rates will rise slightly over the five-year contract, but noted that the rates at the end of the contract would still be lower than what homeowners are now paying.


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