Pensacola is set to bring back curbside recycling this summer, and with the return of curbside recycling comes new trash pick-up rates.
Included in the new rates is, for the first time, a separate rate for commercial customers, double the rate residential customers are charged.
The new rates will go into effect on July 1 if approved by the City Council.
The City Council voted unanimously to approve the new rates on May 22 in the first of two required votes. The council will take the final vote at its meeting on June 12.
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves made the proposed changes as part of the city’s effort to return curbside recycling service to city residents with a $260,000 grant through a nonprofit called The Recycling Partnership.
The move also seeks to put the Sanitation Department on a better financial footing. In 2022, the City Council approved rate changes that were ultimately never implemented. Reeves said he couldn’t support raising the rates, which are supposed to be at $29.70 a month for basic trash collection, under the approved rate structure.
The current rate for customers is $27.44, which gets customers one trash can with twice-a-week pickup. Under the new rate structure, residential customers pay $24.99 with pickup reduced to once a week, but with the option to add recycling or a second trash can for an additional $8 per month.
Commercial property owners who use the city for trash pickup will take the biggest hit under the plan, with rates for basic service increasing by at least $22.54 a month.
Other fees, like a $5.12 a month “sanitation equipment surcharge,” remain the same under the proposal.
Like in the 2022 rate plan, the new trash rates could increase further each year after 2027 by the same amount as consumer price index, however, those increases have to be approved by the City Council each year before they go into effect.
New ‘Recycling 2.0’ rates
Residential trash collection fee for one trash can and no recycling:
Residential trash collection with recycling, or two trash cans:
Commercial trash collection with one trash can:
Commercial trash collection with recycling, or two trash cans:
Additional trash cans, beyond the plans offered, cost an extra $24.99 per month each for both residential and commercial customers.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola’s trash rates are set to change. Here’s what your new bill will be.
Reporting by Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
