PALMER TWP., Pa. – Palmer Township held a public meeting Tuesday night at the Kiwanis Youth Center to prepare residents for significant cost increases for trash hauling and disposal.
The township’s current contact with Waste Management, known now as WM, ends April 30, 2026. The current household rate of $320 per year provides for weekly trash and recycling that is cart-based. The company has declined to offer an extension.
The township instituted a study which indicated residents should budget for a price increase of 30% to 40% with any new deal. Palmer officials have also predicted tipping fees will increase 40% and hauling fees will increase 100%.
Last month, the township’s supervisors chose to solicit bids to acquire a new single-hauler, opting against allowing residents to select their own haulers and potentially save money.
Township officials warned the latter option would produce a trash truck increase, thus accelerating road deterioration. They added a resident requirement to have private trash hauling would prove an enforcement challenge.
Tuesday night’s meeting featured commentary on the bidding process, what factors impact trash and recycling costs, how Palmer compares to surrounding areas, and what residents can expect moving forward.
Palmer Township held a public meeting to prepare residents for significant cost increases for trash hauling and disposal.
WFMZ-TV | Steve Althouse
“We believe it is a big advantage to have a single hauler,” Philip Godbout, director of public services for Palmer Township, said.
The director blamed the rising prices on labor costs, trash and recycling increases and equipment including the toters themselves.
Currently, the township has trash and weekly recycling for about 7,400 households. This produces 598 tons of trash per month and 182 tons of recycling each month.
The township is seeking bids on two separate contracts. The first, involving trash and recycling, is scheduled to be awarded at the board of supervisors’ Jan. 19 meeting. The second, for hauling, will be awarded Feb. 25. Godbout said supervisors will decide what costs are passed on to the residents at those meetings.
Some residents who attended Tuesday night’s meeting hope this involves providing residents with some relief. One woman, who chose to remain unidentified, told Godbout she would opt to provide residents with choices for toters besides 95 gallons, calling the current option “a huge, ridiculous cart.”
The individual added that she did not believe Godbout or his Palmer Township colleagues “saw” the community with their garbage plans, noting that some people are financially “struggling.”