Recently, the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, published a study of its trash collection system through a trash bill audit. Currently, the city does not have organized trash collection. Instead, residents are responsible for arranging their own trash pick-up. The city audited residents’ trash bills to uncover challenges with the current system that may be solved by consolidating the city’s trash collection with a single hauler.
In the current, open collection system, there is no designated trash collection day or zone within St. Paul. Neighbors use different trash collectors and have their trash picked up on different days. This can cause a bit of chaos on the city streets and confusion and frustration for residents who pay different rates for similar services.
Here are the lessons the city learned from their trash bill audit.
Different Haulers Charge Different Surcharges
Unsurprisingly, the St. Paul trash collection audit discovered that there were as many different surcharges as there were trash haulers. The audit represented a hauler’s surcharge as a share of a resident’s total bill. The lowest surcharge of any hauler charged was 3.30 percent of a resident’s bill. But one hauler charged as much as 13.95 percent of a resident’s bill. That difference really adds up over the course of a year.
Can Size Matter?
One of the most notable findings of the St. Paul trash bill audit was the variation in price among haulers for cans of the same size. For a 30–38-gallon can, haulers charged anywhere between $10.33 and $53.65, with an average price of $22.50. In other words, two neighbors who each had a 30-gallon could pay wildly different prices for essentially the same service. This variation was found in charges for medium and large-sized cans, too.
Irregular Charges Are Often Legit, But You Should Still Check for Them
Lastly, the St. Paul trash bill audit found many bills included irregular charges. While on the face this seemed suspect, the researchers were able to uncover reasons for the charges. Most were for large appliance pick-ups, annual yard pick-ups, and other one-time services. The average cost of one of these irregular charges was $8.09 to $21.42.
Are you a St. Paul property owner with questions about your trash bill? It’s time to schedule a no-obligation audit with SM Engineering. We can help you understand your bill and find opportunities to save. Contact our team today.
