No joke, Waste Management will implement fee increases for City of Reno customers starting April 1. For households with two 96-gallon bins—one for recycling, one for trash—the increase will amount to $1.37 per month. A household paying $22.76 per month will pay $24.13 starting in April.
“While there will be some people who argue the company is still too profitable, I believe these calculations show that WM is solid [and] sustainable [and] will not suddenly go out of business leaving customers without service,” Waste Management spokesperson Kendra Kostelecky said. “I also believe [the increases] demonstrate that WM is not practicing predatory pricing based on unprecedented inflation.”
The increases are part of the company’s franchise agreement with the city.
“[Waste Management] must show that their profitability does not exceed a 10% return on revenue using a 3-year rolling average,” Kostelecky added. “With volatile inflation over the past few years, rate increase caps in WM’s agreements have protected northern Nevada customers from wild increases they may have incurred.”
Other increases will be seen at the Lockwood landfill and transfer stations for the City of Reno and its collection services. These too will see slight increases–for example, compacted yards of waste will go up by $1.12.
“Collection … and disposal allowances at the transfer stations and at Lockwood Landfill that WM provides to the City will increase by the full 7.28%,” Kostelecky said.
