Dive Brief:
- Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics cite an 0.8% increase in waste collection costs in August.
- This marks the third consecutive monthly rise. Over the past year, costs associated with waste hauling have risen by 2.7%.
- On a national level, the cost for collection services rose 1.6% in the past 12 months.
Dive Insight:
Bert Biggers, the director of statistics and standards for the NW&RA, said that costs rose for haulers due to the steel market, which influenced garbage and recycling truck indexes. The prices of trucks increased between 1.6% and 3.9% during the past year. Tipping fees are also a major cost for haulers, but the BLS does not compile data from landfills or MRFs at this time.
In May, the Citizens Budget Commission announced the results of a waste collection cost-study survey. The report found that New York City tops the list of most expensive hauling costs. Haulers in the Big Apple pay an estimated $251 per ton of trash collected.
The least expensive area was Arlington, TX, where hauling costs an average of $7 per ton.
