By By Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle residents will soon pay more for garbage service.
Starting Oct. 1, the majority of residential customers will pay $12.50 a month for garbage and recycling services. The change is an increase of 90 cents from the current rate.
Commercial customers will pay between $3 and $5 more.
The city began providing its own garbage service and yard debris pickup two years ago. It added recycling service in April.
The garbage service was previously provided by the county, which just increased its rate to $12.50 per month for sanitation only. Tankersley said if the city had stayed with the county, residents would have had to pay $12.50 per month plus an additional $3 for recycling.
In figuring the rates for the coming year, the extra revenue generated by recycling sales helped offset the cost. The city expects to earn some $10,000 in income from its recycling this year. As that number grows, it can help offset the costs associated with the program.
The city has contracted with the Traylor Group this spring to provide recycling services. The city switched from open containers to covered ones and receives a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the collected items.