Valley residents who went to the dump recently may have encountered a bit of sticker shock when they saw how much it now costs to throw away a bag of trash.
Recently, Earthwise Transfer Station in Waitsfield raised the price for disposing of a 15-gallon bag of trash to $3.90. A 30-gallon bag of trash now costs $6 to toss and a 45-gallon bag costs $9.50.
According to Mad River Resource Management Alliance director John Malter, this cost increase is not unique to the local drop-off but reflects a larger trend emerging across the state.
Per the conditions of Act 148, which seeks to divert all organic materials from the landfill by 2020, recycling is now free. Because of that, Malter said, haulers are charging more for trash to make up the difference. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“The increase in cost for trash disposal is an incentive to encourage folks to reduce their waste stream by taking a more active role in recycling the materials they may have been tossing out that could be recycled,” Malter said.
While state laws now require that haulers offer recycling free of charge, they do not regulate the cost of trash disposal, Malter explained. “This is a free market and competitors are able to charge a rate that they feel is appropriate to their marketplace,” he said.
