Hempfield poised to renew garbage collection contract with County Hauling

Hempfield supervisors this week gave the OK for the manager and solicitor to seek out a one-year extension to a contract with County Hauling for garbage collection.

The extension seemed to be the best route after surveying prices in a number of municipalities around the region, said manager Aaron Siko.

“That is the option that provides our township residents the best savings with the continued service that they have and no service interruption,” he said.

County Hauling began collecting trash in Hempfield in 2021 after the township switched providers from Advanced Disposal for a better price than what Advanced Disposal was offering under a contract extension. Residential rates still went up then by almost $10 per quarter.

The County Hauling contract, which is set to expire at the end of 2025, contains three one-year extension options. Each option carries a 3% increase, Siko said.

Residents currently pay a base rate of $60.66 quarterly, or $242.64 per year. The 3% increase would make that amount $62.48 quarterly, or $249.92 annually, he said.

“Seems like that’d be the cheapest option,” Supervisor Jay Anderson said.

Siko provided board members a list of rates in nearby municipalities. That data showed Manor entered into a contract in 2024 with County Hauling that has a 2025 quarterly rate of $94.32 which rises to $101.40 next year. Penn Township started its contract with Republic Services in 2021 and residents currently pay $52.02 quarterly, which rises to $53.06 next year.

The level of services can vary by municipality.

There were a number of complaints received by Hempfield about County Hauling after the change in service. Siko said there was a peak in 2022 of 188 complaints compared to 9 as of May 31.

“After four and a half years of service with County Hauling, it has gotten much better,” he said. “They have changed a lot of their internal systems to make customer service a higher focus and priority.”

Board members asked the manager and solicitor to go ahead with investigating the renewal option with County Hauling.

“That’s a no-brainer … I’d ride that as long as I could,” said Supervisor George Reese, who had been pushing for the past few months for the board to discuss options as the contract’s expiration neared.

“In today’s climate, a 3% increase, that’s nothing,” Supervisor Tom Logan agreed.