Dougherty County Commission approves fee increases for landfill

ALBANY – Inflation is coming to Dougherty County’s landfill, but the impact of the hike in tipping fees will mostly affect contractors and others who haul large quantities of waste to the facility.

Under the new fee schedule approved this week by the Dougherty County Commission, residents who bring 260 pounds of trash or less to the landfill will still pay no charge.

The fee increases will allow the county to better keep up with inflation and pay for future expansion at the facility, Interim County Administrator Barry Brooks said during a Tuesday interview.

“Number 1, we haven’t done a rate increase in about 10 years,” he said. “Costs have continued to increase. It’s time.”

As the county looks to expand the footprint of the landfill, it will incur additional costs as well.

“As we’re expanding, expanding the life of it, the county will have to meet the EPD’s (Georgia Environmental Protection Division) requirements for monitoring,” Brooks said. “There will be additional costs for monitoring wells and for vents.”

Under the new fees scheduled by the county, the cost to dump tires will remain the same. Those charges are $1 per tire for five or less and $1.60, or $225 per ton, for more than five tires. Off-road truck tires also will remain the same at $4 per tire, as will farm tractor tires at $40 per tire.

The cost for municipal solid waste and inert construction and demolition waste will both increase from $38.97 per ton to $40.97, as will residential self-haul garbage totaling more than 260 pounds.

The cost for liquids will increase from $71.72 per ton to $73.72, and for asbestos from $43.26 to $45.26.

Even with the price increases, the county’s landfill tipping fees will remain among the lowest compared to other landfills in the region, Brooks said.

“We’re competitive,” he said. “If we’re not the least expensive, we’re second.”

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