Trash removal in Crafton Borough will cost an extra $20 per home next year to account for increased fees and delinquent payments by residents.
Interim Manager Douglas Sample said home owners will now pay $255 annually for Waste Management trash hauling, which includes an extra $10 to cover a 4.5% increase in costs and $10 to compensate for unpaid trash bills.
Currently only 82% of Crafton homeowners pay for trash removal, said Sample. While some unpaid bills are associated with abandoned properties or unusual circumstances, most are due to homeowners being behind in payment.
Sample expects that to change next year.
“We want to aggressively go after delinquent accounts [in the] early spring,” he said. Liens will be placed on properties of unpaid bills. Sample said he aims to increase collections to 92%.
As a cost savings measure, the borough pays Waste Management for trash hauling but then collects those fees from residents.
“We get the best rate if we do the collections ourselves but we're left holding the debt,” he said.
Sample said Waste Management's recent increase will likely be a catalyst to explore other trash collection options for 2023.
– Compiled by Dianne Stuckman