Numerous locals participated in a workshop discussing trash pickup rates, comparing Subscription versus Universal options. Although the City Council intended to decide on an option Wednesday, they required additional time for deliberation.
Waste Management is the current service provider in Sebastian, Florida. But their agreement with the city is almost over – it ends in July 2023. The city asked other companies if they wanted to pick up the trash, but Waste Management was the only one that responded.
Waste Management’s plan is to buy all new trucks and bins if they make a new agreement with the city. This new agreement would last seven years, with the chance to continue it for five more years. They will only pick up regular trash and yard waste, but not recycling, because that’s taken care of by the county and included in what homeowners already pay in taxes.
The new cost to get trash picked up might be anywhere from $19 to $42 each month. It depends on how many times they pick up trash every week, and if you choose the Subscription or Universal plan. Right now, out of 98 contracts Waste Management has in Florida, only 9 are Subscription services.
Even though Waste Management raised their prices by 15% last summer because their company-wide costs went up due to inflation, they’re still making more money, says a resident of Sebastian named Mike Zappala. He pointed out that the price increase will be tough for people who are retired or who don’t have a lot of money to spare.
Another resident, Sherrie Matthews, said that the company needs to do a better job. She mentioned times when they missed picking up the trash or didn’t come when they were supposed to. Despite the cost, she said they need to do what they promised.
Right now, about 17% of residents have had their trash pickup stopped because they didn’t pay.
When it comes to the cost, the Subscription plan, which some residents like because they can start and stop it whenever they want, is going to be more expensive. For example, the $14 service to pick up trash twice a week will soon cost $42. The Universal plan is cheaper, with the same twice-a-week pickup costing $19.
There are also other choices, like residents taking their own trash to the local dump. If you want another bin for trash, it costs an extra one-time fee of $85 with the Subscription plan. But with the Universal plan, you can get a second bin for free.
The City Council will think about what residents said at the workshop to decide which plan is best and how many times to pick up the trash each week. They’re planning to vote on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, but Council Member Ed Dodd might wait to vote because he wants more information from Waste Management.
