Tarentum stays with Waste Management for at least 1 more year; rates unchanged

Tarentum is sticking with Waste Management as its garbage hauler for 2020 but will keep looking for a new one, borough Manager Michael Nestico said.

The one-year contract council accepted with Waste Management keeps the borough’s cost unchanged at about $165 per ton.

Tarentum opted not to increase residents’ $22 monthly garbage fee after Waste Management proposed increasing the borough’s per-ton fee, according to Nestico. Instead, the borough budgeted $375,000 for garbage collection in 2020, a 35% increase over 2019, in anticipation of higher costs.

With the borough’s per-ton fee unchanged, Nestico said, the additional money budgeted will give the borough some financial flexibility.

The borough’s prior contract with Waste Management expired at the end of 2019.

Nestico said in late December the borough was going to seek proposals from other haulers to replace Waste Management after the company submitted two three-year proposals, both of which would have increased the borough’s per-ton rate. Waste Management proposed the one-year deal with no change in price when the borough asked about going month-to-month as it sought proposals from other companies.

Nestico said Tarentum will go forward with seeking proposals from other haulers. A formal request for proposals will go out in the spring, he said.