Southold residents to pay more to get rid of trash, and other fees also set to rise
Southold residents will soon pay more to throw away their trash — among other fees set to increase in the town.
The town board voted 6-0 last week to approve a 33% price hike for special yellow trash bags required for household garbage.
Southold implemented the "pay as you throw" system in 1994, when a dozen eggs cost 90 cents and a gallon of gas was about $1, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. But over 30 years, the cost of the yellow bags has remained the same — until now.
Garbage bag prices are among several resident fees to see substantial hikes this year. Others include beach and dump parking passes, yard sale, shellfish and special event permits. "Some of [the fees] hadn’t been changed in literally decades," said town Supervisor Al Krupski. "We’re providing services, we need the money to cover those costs."
Starting March 1, the price per bag will rise from 75 cents to $1 for small 13-gallon bags; $1.50 to $2 for 33-gallon bags; and $2.25 to $3 for 44-gallon bags. Town officials said the increase is necessary to cover the cost of the program, which is intended to incentivize recycling, amid rising costs of waste disposal. Town data shows 367,450 total bags were sold in 2023, though how many each household used was not calculated.
It costs Southold about $137,000 annually to purchase the bags from WasteZero, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based waste management company, and about $474,456 to dispose of the waste for a total annual cost of $611,456, according to town solid waste coordinator Nick Krupski, who is the son of the town supervisor.
The bags generate about $500,000 in revenue, leaving a roughly $111,456 deficit, he said.
In an interview, Nick Krupski said the nominal increase would help close the gap and was not intended to be a moneymaker for the town of nearly 24,000.
Residents are required to use yellow trash bags whether they self-haul their garbage to the dump or pay for a private carter. The fees help offset the cost of shipping the waste to an incinerator in Babylon, officials said.
The program has helped improve the town’s recycling rate. Because residents pay for each bag, it’s more likely that recyclables are sorted out so they don’t take up valuable space in the trash, Nick Krupski said.
"It’s one of the only proven tools to get people to truly recycle because it’s affecting their bottom dollar," he said.
Such programs are prominent on the East End, where Southampton and Shelter Island towns also have special trash bags for household waste.
Data from the town’s solid waste department shows an estimated 20% of household waste was recycled and 60% of total incoming waste, which includes yard and construction debris, in 2023, according to Nick Krupski. The federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates the current national recycling rate to be 32%.
Last month, Southold introduced another way to cut household waste by launching a food scrap composting program at the Cutchogue dump.
Other fee increases the town approved on Jan. 7 include resident shellfish permits, which will increase from $5 to $20, and yard sale permits from $15 to $20 a day.
Applications for special events like weddings will increase from $150 to either $250 or $500, depending on the size, and filming permits will rise from $100 to $300 per day.
Prices for two-year beach permits will rise from $20 to $30 and two-year permits to use the dump will increase from $30 to $40, but won’t take effect until January 2026.
At a town meeting Dec. 17, Cutchogue resident Bill Shipman said the fee hikes "agitated" him in a year where Southold also pierced the tax cap with a 7% increase.
"Everything goes up, and then you’re telling me you want more," he said at the meeting.
The fees cover the cost of each service, said town Councilman Greg Doroski. "It’s fair to have the individuals who are utilizing these services bear the cost of these fees."
Southold residents will soon pay more to throw away their trash — among other fees set to increase in the town.
The town board voted 6-0 last week to approve a 33% price hike for special yellow trash bags required for household garbage.
Southold implemented the "pay as you throw" system in 1994, when a dozen eggs cost 90 cents and a gallon of gas was about $1, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. But over 30 years, the cost of the yellow bags has remained the same — until now.
Garbage bag prices are among several resident fees to see substantial hikes this year. Others include beach and dump parking passes, yard sale, shellfish and special event permits. "Some of [the fees] hadn’t been changed in literally decades," said town Supervisor Al Krupski. "We’re providing services, we need the money to cover those costs."
Starting March 1, the price per bag will rise from 75 cents to $1 for small 13-gallon bags; $1.50 to $2 for 33-gallon bags; and $2.25 to $3 for 44-gallon bags. Town officials said the increase is necessary to cover the cost of the program, which is intended to incentivize recycling, amid rising costs of waste disposal. Town data shows 367,450 total bags were sold in 2023, though how many each household used was not calculated.
It costs Southold about $137,000 annually to purchase the bags from WasteZero, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based waste management company, and about $474,456 to dispose of the waste for a total annual cost of $611,456, according to town solid waste coordinator Nick Krupski, who is the son of the town supervisor.
The bags generate about $500,000 in revenue, leaving a roughly $111,456 deficit, he said.
In an interview, Nick Krupski said the nominal increase would help close the gap and was not intended to be a moneymaker for the town of nearly 24,000.
Residents are required to use yellow trash bags whether they self-haul their garbage to the dump or pay for a private carter. The fees help offset the cost of shipping the waste to an incinerator in Babylon, officials said.
The program has helped improve the town’s recycling rate. Because residents pay for each bag, it’s more likely that recyclables are sorted out so they don’t take up valuable space in the trash, Nick Krupski said.
"It’s one of the only proven tools to get people to truly recycle because it’s affecting their bottom dollar," he said.
Such programs are prominent on the East End, where Southampton and Shelter Island towns also have special trash bags for household waste.
Data from the town’s solid waste department shows an estimated 20% of household waste was recycled and 60% of total incoming waste, which includes yard and construction debris, in 2023, according to Nick Krupski. The federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates the current national recycling rate to be 32%.
Last month, Southold introduced another way to cut household waste by launching a food scrap composting program at the Cutchogue dump.
Other fee increases the town approved on Jan. 7 include resident shellfish permits, which will increase from $5 to $20, and yard sale permits from $15 to $20 a day.
Applications for special events like weddings will increase from $150 to either $250 or $500, depending on the size, and filming permits will rise from $100 to $300 per day.
Prices for two-year beach permits will rise from $20 to $30 and two-year permits to use the dump will increase from $30 to $40, but won’t take effect until January 2026.
At a town meeting Dec. 17, Cutchogue resident Bill Shipman said the fee hikes "agitated" him in a year where Southold also pierced the tax cap with a 7% increase.
"Everything goes up, and then you’re telling me you want more," he said at the meeting.
The fees cover the cost of each service, said town Councilman Greg Doroski. "It’s fair to have the individuals who are utilizing these services bear the cost of these fees."
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