Rate Comparisons: The Numbers
Our February 7th workshop packet (pages 13-15) includes information on the rates in numerous metro cities with organized collection. Prior to last Monday's meeting, I did some number crunching to better understand the data.
It is surprisingly difficult to compare trash hauling rates in different cities. Container sizes vary, though they do fall into basic ranges; sometimes added services (bulky items, yard waste) are included in the base rate, sometimes they cost extra. Some organized collection cities break out recycling as a separate charge; others have a single rate for recycling plus trash. And then there's taxes -- in addition to the state tax of 9.75%, counties may have a solid waste tax. This County Environmental Charge (CEC) is 28% here in Ramsey County, but 9% in Hennepin County and 37.5% in Washington County.
The recycling charge is particularly vexing, because we have organized recycling collection and, at $2.22 per month, our residents pay one of the lowest charges I've seen. This makes it a dubious comparison to add our organized recycling charge to Maplewood trash open hauling rates, since effectively you are crediting the haulers with the cost savings of our existing organized system. I suppose another alternative would be to figure out an average recycling rate among the cities where it is itemized, and subtract it from the organized city rates that combine trash and recycling. However you slice it, though, you're ending up with flawed comparisons. At best, you can say it tells you the difference in what you would pay if you moved from Maplewood to one of these cities; it is more limited in telling you what you might pay if Maplewood went to organized trash hauling in addition to our organized recycling that is already in place.
With that in mind, here are tables comparing Maplewood hauler rates plus our organized recycling collection charge to the rates of organized cities with a combined trash + recycling rate. Taxes and surcharges (such as the fuel surcharges often added by Maplewood haulers) are excluded in all cases.
Maplewood Haulers Plus $2.22/month for recycling
Organized Cities With Prices for Trash & Recycling Combined
Again, keep in mind that this effectively assumes that the recycling charge included in those organized rates is the same as Maplewood's $2.22 per month, one of the lowest rates in the metro. (The range I've seen is from $2.20 to $5.13 per month.) Some of the base rates also include add-on services (Little Canada's price, for example, includes three bulky items per year and a holiday tree; Robbinsdale and Saint Louis Park rates include yard waste pick-up). Even so hobbled, these organized collection cities' rates compare favorably with Maplewood's haulers today.
In some cases we can get closer to "apples to apples," when we can identify organized collection rates that exclude any recycling charge.
Here are the basic rates of Maplewood haulers, again without taxes or surcharges:
And here are the rates of organized Metro cities who have a price for trash service alone:
So, how much more do we pay than the residents of these organized cities, where we have closer to apples-to-apples comparisons? Here are three ways to look at it:
It is interesting that the average difference pretty well matches the 20%-to-50%-more figures that the 2009 MPCA study found in their comparison of average rates between open versus organized cities.
A final comment: The Maplewood rates are the numbers reported to the city by the haulers, as required by ordinance. Some residents may have negotiated lower rates. For example, one resident told me he checks the rates each year, calls his hauler, and asks them to match the lowest rate. On the other hand, another resident told me he was upset to discover that his hauler had been slowly raising his rates over time, so that he was paying a great deal more than the rate reported to the city. Unless the haulers open their books, and give us detailed information on the actual rates paid by residents (something they are unlikely to do, based on their responses to past requests for such information), I'm not sure we can do better than to rely on the rates reported to the city.
It is surprisingly difficult to compare trash hauling rates in different cities. Container sizes vary, though they do fall into basic ranges; sometimes added services (bulky items, yard waste) are included in the base rate, sometimes they cost extra. Some organized collection cities break out recycling as a separate charge; others have a single rate for recycling plus trash. And then there's taxes -- in addition to the state tax of 9.75%, counties may have a solid waste tax. This County Environmental Charge (CEC) is 28% here in Ramsey County, but 9% in Hennepin County and 37.5% in Washington County.
The recycling charge is particularly vexing, because we have organized recycling collection and, at $2.22 per month, our residents pay one of the lowest charges I've seen. This makes it a dubious comparison to add our organized recycling charge to Maplewood trash open hauling rates, since effectively you are crediting the haulers with the cost savings of our existing organized system. I suppose another alternative would be to figure out an average recycling rate among the cities where it is itemized, and subtract it from the organized city rates that combine trash and recycling. However you slice it, though, you're ending up with flawed comparisons. At best, you can say it tells you the difference in what you would pay if you moved from Maplewood to one of these cities; it is more limited in telling you what you might pay if Maplewood went to organized trash hauling in addition to our organized recycling that is already in place.
With that in mind, here are tables comparing Maplewood hauler rates plus our organized recycling collection charge to the rates of organized cities with a combined trash + recycling rate. Taxes and surcharges (such as the fuel surcharges often added by Maplewood haulers) are excluded in all cases.
Maplewood Haulers Plus $2.22/month for recycling
| 30-38 Gallons | 60-68 Gallons | 90-98 Gallons | |
| Allied Waste Services (BFI) | $16.97 | $17.22 | $18.22 |
| Gene’s Disposal Service | $14.53 | $16.07 | $17.61 |
| Highland Sanitation | $15.22 | $17.22 | $19.22 |
| Maroney’s Sanitation, Inc. | $17.85 | $22.51 | $23.75 |
| Tennis Sanitation, LLC | $14.27 | $15.27 | $17.27 |
| Veolia Environmental Services | $14.47 | $16.47 | $18.47 |
| Waste Management of Minnesota | $17.22 | $18.22 | $19.22 |
| Walters Recycling & Transfer Station | $18.22 | $19.22 | $20.22 |
| Maplewood Average Rate | $16.09 | $17.78 | $19.25 |
Organized Cities With Prices for Trash & Recycling Combined
| Little Canada | $13.14 | $15.23 | $18.16 |
| White Bear Lake | $9.25 | $13.60 | $18.50 |
| Ham Lake | $10.14 | $15.02 | $17.32 |
| Champlin | $13.98 | $17.41 | $20.85 |
| Robbinsdale | $18.17 | $20.61 | $23.20 |
| Saint Louis Park | $13.23 | $16.83 | $20.42 |
| Organized City Average | $12.99 | $16.45 | $19.74 |
| Average Difference | 24% | 8% | -3% |
| Difference Between Lowest Rates | 54% | 12% | 0% |
Again, keep in mind that this effectively assumes that the recycling charge included in those organized rates is the same as Maplewood's $2.22 per month, one of the lowest rates in the metro. (The range I've seen is from $2.20 to $5.13 per month.) Some of the base rates also include add-on services (Little Canada's price, for example, includes three bulky items per year and a holiday tree; Robbinsdale and Saint Louis Park rates include yard waste pick-up). Even so hobbled, these organized collection cities' rates compare favorably with Maplewood's haulers today.
In some cases we can get closer to "apples to apples," when we can identify organized collection rates that exclude any recycling charge.
Here are the basic rates of Maplewood haulers, again without taxes or surcharges:
| 30-38 Gallons | 60-68 Gallons | 90-98 Gallons | |
| Allied Waste Services (BFI) | $14.75 | $15.00 | $16.00 |
| Gene’s Disposal Service | $12.31 | $13.85 | $15.39 |
| Highland Sanitation | $13.00 | $15.00 | $17.00 |
| Maroney’s Sanitation, Inc. | $15.63 | $20.29 | $21.53 |
| Tennis Sanitation, LLC | $12.05 | $13.05 | $15.05 |
| Veolia Environmental Services | $12.25 | $14.25 | $16.25 |
| Waste Management of Minnesota | $15.00 | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| Walters Recycling & Transfer Station | $16.00 | $17.00 | $18.00 |
| Maplewood Average Rate | $13.87 | $15.56 | $17.03 |
And here are the rates of organized Metro cities who have a price for trash service alone:
| Blaine | $8.15 | $11.65 | $13.65 |
| Circle Pines | $9.05 | $12.70 | $17.65 |
| Columbia Heights | $11.25 | $11.78 | $14.69 |
| Medina | $10.35 | $13.45 | $15.55 |
| North Saint Paul | $11.67 | $12.81 | $15.00 |
| Shakopee | $8.32 | $10.35 | $11.97 |
| Stillwater | $8.57 | $10.84 | $13.33 |
| Vadnais Heights | $9.35 | $11.48 | $14.44 |
| Watertown | $6.66 | $9.32 | $11.69 |
| Wayzata | $7.49 | $12.55 | $17.39 |
| White Bear Township | $9.79 | $10.79 | $12.81 |
| Organized City Average | $9.15 | $11.61 | $14.38 |
So, how much more do we pay than the residents of these organized cities, where we have closer to apples-to-apples comparisons? Here are three ways to look at it:
| Average Difference | 52% | 34% | 18% |
| Difference Between Lowest Rates | 81% | 40% | 29% |
| Average Organized vs. Best Maplewood | 32% | 12% | 5% |
It is interesting that the average difference pretty well matches the 20%-to-50%-more figures that the 2009 MPCA study found in their comparison of average rates between open versus organized cities.
A final comment: The Maplewood rates are the numbers reported to the city by the haulers, as required by ordinance. Some residents may have negotiated lower rates. For example, one resident told me he checks the rates each year, calls his hauler, and asks them to match the lowest rate. On the other hand, another resident told me he was upset to discover that his hauler had been slowly raising his rates over time, so that he was paying a great deal more than the rate reported to the city. Unless the haulers open their books, and give us detailed information on the actual rates paid by residents (something they are unlikely to do, based on their responses to past requests for such information), I'm not sure we can do better than to rely on the rates reported to the city.
Labels: organized collection
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