One topic that Maplewood City Manager Amber Withycombe and Mayor Barry Greenberg discussed at the Ward 3 meeting on Saturday was a coming price hike for yard waste pickup in the city.
Yard waste tags will continue to be offered for the duration of the city’s five-year contract extension with Republic Services according to pages 10-16 of the Sept. 24 City Council meeting packet, but annual price increases are planned. Greenberg said it’s expensive for the Republic trucks to drive the streets to pick up tagged ward waste, so the cost is being passed on.
The cost per tag to the city is currently $2.52. They can be bought at city hall and the library. Scheidt Hardware sells them for slightly more. Any tags bought now before the price hike will still be good after the price goes up.
Per the meeting packet the tags are increasing to $4.69 per tag starting Jan. 1 2025, with a 6% annual increase thereafter. Year-round yard waste pick-up service, which is charged directly to households by Republic Services, will increase to $17.89 per month.
According to the memorandum from Director of Public Works Anthony Traxler, Maplewood is among only a small number of municipalities in the region that Republic Services has agreed to allow continued use of the yard waste tags. He says the city will provide details about the yard waste tag price increase in the Maple Leaf, on social media, via email, and on the city website.
Below is a screenshot from the meeting packet:
Did the council ask Republic to prove why it’s going to cost so much more? If they’re planning tag increases over the next five years, they’re not using gas prices as a guideline. Gas prices have fluctuated over the past couple years, they have not steadily increased every year as the yard tags have. It’s just gouging because the state has decided we have to separate yard waste. Maybe the city should look at some other providers, and look out for the residents instead of just blindly accepting the increased cost on us every year.
So what are they thinking to happen when the 5 year contract is up? Go to the monthly 18$ fee? I rent a yard waste dumpster from Republic and in the summer put it out every couple of weeks with a tag on it. After November I don’t put it out until April or May. So almost half a year I don’t use it. If we go that route can we cancel it over the winter? That sounds expensive to me. I wish there were other alternatives. I guess I will stock up on my pink tags before the end of the year!
I didn’t think a tag was needed if you’re renting the yard waste dumpster – I used to live in Maplewood and would put it out every week, never had an issue.
I am paying around $6.50 a month just for my dumpster. I still have to put a ticket on it. It is worth it to me because it holds a lot and is easy to manage. Since I don’t use it each week or in the winter, it is in my opinion worth it to pay to rent it and use the tags. I was not aware they had a monthly subscription for unlimited yard waste removal. As I said in my previous comment paying 20$ a month year round exceeds what I spend using my present method, and I wonder if I went that way if I could cancel it in the winter.