Local solid waste authority representatives will try to offer history and context Tuesday surrounding a proposed 5 percent rate increase for most Recology Del Norte customers.

The new rate structure is set to begin July 1 pending approval from the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority. It would also require customers to pay about $5 extra for a recycling bin that’s larger than their garbage bin, according to DNSWMA Director Tedd Ward.

Currently, Recology Del Norte customers can purchase curbside pickup service for a 30 gallon trash cart and get a recycling cart as large as 90 gallons for free, Ward told the DNSWMA Board of Directors at a meeting March 16.

Under the proposed new fee schedule, a residential customer with a 32 gallon trash and recycling bin will find their monthly rate increase from $29.71 to $31.06 in July 2021. A residential customer with a 32 gallon trash bin who wants a 64 gallon bin will have to pay an extra $5.20 a month, increasing their rate to $36.28.

Rates for a commercial customer with a 32 gallon trash bin and a 32 gallon recycling bin will increase from $46.35 to $48.48 in July. A commercial customer with a 96 gallon trash bin and a 96 gallon recycling bin will see rates increase from $162.24 to $169.70.
Collection rates will increase from $8.78 to $9.16 for residents requesting an extra bag, according to the DNSWMA.

The rate increase comes after Recology Del Norte had to scramble to find a place for the community’s recycling after local processor Julindra closed its doors in 2016. As a result, Recology General Manager Jeremy Herber discovered that Del Norte County had a level of contamination in its recycling stream that was higher than the industry standard.

Recology Humboldt’s new processing facility on the Samoa Peninsula agreed to take Del Norte County’s recycling later in 2017.
DNSWMA’s town-hall meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom.

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