SANFORD – With city costs on the rise for trash hauling and disposal – and especially for recycling – the price of orange Pay As You Throw bags used for curbside pickup is poised to increase in Sanford to $13.50 a sleeve sometime this summer.

Fees to dispose of some items at Sanford’s transfer station will change on July 1.

The City Council on Tuesday held a second reading and vote on changes to the city’s trash ordinances that addresses the fee changess. The updated ordinance also provides a mechanism for those with multi-family dwellings of five units or more, mobile home parks or campgrounds to continue to take their tenants’ PAYT-bagged trash and recycling to the transfer station. The city does not provide curbside trash and recycling pick-up for multi-family dwellings of five or more units. A transfer station permit for these properties will cost $100 annually.

As well, the council approved a two-year contract with Ecomaine at $65 a ton for recycling. Under the contract that expires on June 30, Ecomaine had accepted Sanford’s recycling at no cost. However, as markets for recycling have dried up and countries that previously accepted U.S. recycling are cracking down on the amount of contaminates, like plastic bags, that arrive in recycled materials, Ecomaine has scrapped the no-fee contracts when they come up for renewal.

City officials say the PAYT bag increase is the first in six years. Sanford’s PAYT bags currently cost $10 for a sleeve of five, 33-gallon bags, eight, 15-gallon bags or 10, eight-gallon bags.

City Manager Steve Buck pointed out that the fee for the bags goes toward paying for both hauling and disposing of trash and recycling.

The date the change to $13.50 per sleeve will be announced. Public Works Director Matt Hill in an email said Waste Zero, the company that manufactures the bags, requires about 30 days notice to change the price.

Changes were made to the fee structure to dispose of a variety of items at the transfer station – among them is a $10 fee to dispose of a computer monitor –  the current cost is $5; mattresses will cost $15 instead of $5, and freon appliances items will  increase from $12 to $20.

Some fees, like the $15 charge to dispose of a sofa, will remain the same.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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