Palmdale OKs Trash Rate Increase
The Palmdale City Council on Wednesday approved a 26% increase in the fee charged homeowners for weekly trash collection by a private company, raising the rate from $7.60 a month to $9.60.
The increase, approved 4 to 0, will take effect Feb. 1.
Palmdale Disposal Co., which has the exclusive city franchise for the service, argued that it has been losing money because of new environmental restrictions.
In unaudited statements filed with the city, the company claimed that it expects to lose more than $1 million during 1990 even with the increase. The company, which also operates its own landfill, said it would need a $16 a month charge to break even for the coming year.
A city report attributed the company’s rising costs to new requirements for testing, inspections and environmental protections at landfills such as the company’s Antelope Valley Public Dump. The city report also cited the costs of a required recycling program and serving a growing community.
A survey of trash collection rates in other cities submitted by the California Disposal Assn., an industry group, said Palmdale’s new rate will still be less than those of man other cities.
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