Lawrenceville officials inked the city’s $147.4 million 2022 budget on Monday evening, expecting to start charging residents for trash and recycling collection.
The Gwinnett city plans to charge a monthly $10 fee starting January 2022, upping the fee to $20 per month in 2023. City officials still need to approve an ordinance later this year for the change to take effect, said City Manager Chuck Warbington.
Residents cannot opt out of trash and recycling pickup. Senior citizens would receive a 50% discount. The cost businesses pay for dumpster collection would increase by 10%.
The schedule for trash pickup would remain weekly, while recycling pickup would decrease from weekly to once every two weeks.
People who live in apartments and duplexes already pay $20 per month for pickup, but residents in single-family homes, townhomes and senior housing stopped paying fees about five years ago. Since then, the city has struggled with an annual sanitation shortfall of more than $1 million that’s growing.
Charging residents will allow the city to keep a curbside recycling program, which has become costly in recent years due to market changes. Officials expect the fees to fully eliminate the deficit in a few years.
Other cities in Gwinnett County charge similar fees for trash and recycling collection. Residents in unincorporated areas of the county pay $18.40 per month for pickup.
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