Real-Life EXAMPLES

Financial and Cart-Storage Implication

By shifting to a more-efficient system, the overall cost of city-wide coordinated collection of trash should be cheaper, NOT more expensive.  That seems to have worked in Maplewood, MN.  But in St. Paul, consumers will pay more (lots more), not less. 

• One local analyst (John Genereux) calculates that approximately 73,000 affected 1- to 4-unit St. Paul households: (1) are currently paying a total of about $20 Million annually under the decades old "free-market" trash hauling system; and (2) under St. Paul's new program will be forced to pay the "excess" cost of about $11.6 million per year, for a total of $58 million during the city's five year garbage contract.

  • Presumably, coordinated collection will enable St. Paul's trash haulers to save money via greater efficiency (smaller & more-compact service areas, lower mileage, less equipment depreciation, etc.).  Also, the City's budget will see benefits (less street/alley damage, etc.).  These savings could, but apparently will not, be shared with consumers.

  • Instead of going down an estimated $4.6 Million annually (per analysis of and comparison with Maplewood trash hauling data), garbage fees for St. Paul's 1- to 4-unit households will go up approximately $7.0 Million annually (per analysis of St. Paul Department of Public Works data). 

  • $4.6M "lost" savings  +  $7.0M increased fees  =  $11.6 Million "excess" per year    ...    $58 Million over five years

  • Cost Analysis by John Genereux - August 2018

     

• It appears that most single-family households (except zero-wasters) will see modest increases or decreases in their annual garbage hauling fees.  

• On the other hand, zero/low-wasters plus many residents in 2-, 3- and 4-unit buildings are seeing fee increases of double, triple, or even five times more than they have been paying under the decades-old "free-market" system.  It seems that most of that $58 million "excess" cost landed here.

• Thousands of "targeted" multi-family and zero/low-waste households will be forced to pay monthly and annual charges for thousands of empty, unwanted and unnecessary trash carts.

• These skewed financial results harm affordable housing efforts AND sustainable living initiatives.  In St. Paul, "reduce, reuse, recycle" is trashed via punitive rules and over-the-top charges.   Meanwhile, the city, the haulers, the county and the state smile...all the way to the bank.