Lake Oswego trash fees may go up

Allied Waste proposes 6.73 overall rate boost for 2010

By Rebecca Randall

The Lake Oswego Review, Mar 4, 2010 (2 Reader comments)

Lake Oswego residents will likely be bracing themselves for another fee increase this year.

Allied Waste, the contractor for the city’s garbage and recycling services, proposed an overall 6.73 percent increase this year. The actual increase is dependent on the size of container. For most customers that have a 35-gallon cart the increase will be eight percent or the equivalent of $1.77 per month. The average total bill would be $23.92.

The rates are about average for area cities. Portland, Milwaukie, Gresham, Sherwood, Clackamas County, Oregon City and Damascus will still pay higher rates than Lake Oswego.

However, this is the third year in a row the company has proposed an increase well above inflation. Rate increases were also approved in 2007 for 7.8 percent and in 2008 for 8.25 percent.

One reason for the increase is the cost of disposal, which comprises about one third of the company’s expenses. The regional governing body Metro regulates fees for disposal at its transfer stations, and those fees have risen about six percent each year for the last three years.

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