ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The growth of St. Lucie County is putting a strain on its landfill and WPTV has learned residents could be paying more for garbage pickup.
Just last month, the county started raising some rates.
WATCH: Erick Gill tells WPTV why homeowners could be paying more by the end of the year
By October, Erick Gill with St. Lucie County told WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield, homeowners could be paying an extra $84 a year for trash pickup.
And as trucks file in to the St. Lucie County landfill on Wednesday, those garbage contractors for the county and Port St. Lucie could be paying more to dump resident’s trash.
“It's not something they want to do,” said Gill.
But Gill said after a study uncovered the landfill was losing money, it looks like the county needs to.
“The landfill ran at a deficit,” said Gill. “Rates have not really increased since the 90s, but the operating costs have increased, fuel and equipment.”
Gill said growth is also a factor. With more trash being dumped, Gill said the county needs to plan for the future.
“We're expanding a Cell V, so we can continue to use this site and not have to go out and look for somewhere else in the county to build a new landfill,” said Gill.
Since contractors like Waste Pro and FCC—are being charged more for dumping—Gill said residents should expect an increase.
“As a business,” said Gill. “They're going to have to pass that cost on to the customer.”
The current rate for contractors to dump resident’s garbage is $49 a ton. According to St. Lucie County, in October, it could go up to $69 a ton.
Currently, for unincorporated residents, the unincorporated solid waste for homeowners is $384.44, which could go up to $464.
“No one wants to pay more,” said Gill. “But at the same time, this is a business. It has to run like a business, so the annual expenses need to match the revenue coming in.”
