MANSFIELD — The cost of buying nearly everything has risen in 2022 with inflation at a 40-year high.
The cost of getting rid of it is also rising.
Richland County commissioners on Tuesday approved a one-year renewal of the county’s waste hauling contract with Rumpke Waste & Recycling — agreeing to pay 5 percent more for the work.
“The continuing trend of the world of increased costs,” Commissioner Tony Vero said. “Inflation’s up 8 or 9 percent, the stock market dropped, what, a thousand points yesterday? Our own trash service at home has gone up. I don’t even recognize the price of food anymore.
“I actually hate to say a 5-percent increase might be a bargain,” Vero said.
The unanimous decision came during a meeting with Rachel Troyer, the county’s central services coordinator. It includes trash containers and hauling to the landfill in the northern part of the county, also owned by Rumpke.
Troyer told commissioners the county in 2020 agreed to a two-year contract with Rumpke with the option of up to two one-year renewals.
She said the contract allows for a maximum increase of 5 percent.
“We are lucky because it could have been 8 or 9 percent,” Troyer said. “I am not sure what will happen when we renew again. But for this year, we are good with the 5-percent increase.”
Troyer cited rising fuel costs among the reasons Rumpke used in seeking the increase.
“If everything settles down with gas prices, then we may go ahead and renew it next year, as well,” she said.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said, “You can plan on gas prices going back up Nov. (8),” he said in reference to the midterm election.
Troyer said the contract does allow Rumpke to seek additional increases if there are changes in things like EPA regulations and landfill requirements.
Asked if Rumpke could increase tipping fees at the landfill and then pass those costs onto the county, Troyer said it’s possible.
“They can … (but) in our history, they’ve never done that,” Troyer said.
