By Shannon Lukens.

 

Some local trash pickup is being affected by higher gas prices nationally. Waste Management has added a line to their bill for “Fuel/Environmental Charge.” The Environmental Charge is the charge at local landfills and transfer stations. A customer service rep for Waste Management said this quarter’s fuel charge is the highest he has ever seen it, and it is a standard charge on all invoices. One bill for normal residential service in Steamboat showed a charge of $150.96 for fuel this quarter, which is 58.67% of the quarterly charge for weekly pickup of trash and recycling.

Anne Spitza with Waste Management tells Steamboat Radio News, “Like many other companies, particularly those engaged in hauling and transportation services, WM implemented a fuel surcharge as part of its customer billing a number of years ago. WM’s fuel surcharge is tied directly to the nationally-reported average price of diesel fuel, and as the price of fuel fluctuates up or down over time, customer billings will reflect these increases or decreases in the fuel surcharge. With the recent rise in fuel costs, WM customers are seeing an increase in their bills. This type of adjustment is in place as a standard part of our billing at any other time when market costs of fuel fluctuate. More information can be found on our website at https://www.wm.com/us/en/terms/charge-information.”

 

When checking about new service, a Waste Management rep said it would be $61.56 a month for a Steamboat residence, billed quarterly. That included all trash, recycling, and fuel costs.

 

Twin Enviro Services is based in Steamboat Springs and they do not have an extra fuel charge on their bill. When inquiring Thursday, they said their charge is $32 a month for residential weekly pickup, and bi-weekly recycling in Steamboat Springs.