West Hartford Recycling Permit Fees Skyrocket

WEST HARTFORD, CT — In a vote hardly serving as a gift to local residents, the West Hartford Town Council has approved doubling all permit fees at the town's yard waste and recycling center.

The West Hartford Town Council voted 9-0 on Nov. 12 for a new set of annual permit fees at the center, which is located at 25 Brixton St..

It is where residents can dispose of a "wide variety" of recyclables such as mattresses, electronics, textiles, waste oil, automobile batteries and bulky yard waste not collected at the curb.

The town is citing skyrocketing cost increases to dispose of certain types of recyclable materials and waste, with the resolution approving the fee hikes alluding to a 69 percent increase over three years.

According to the new annual permit fees approved by the town's top elected body:

• A passenger vehicle/SUV will go from $10 to $20 a year.

• A passenger vehicle/SUV with a trailer will go from $15 to $30 a year.

• A pickup truck/full-size van will go from $25 to $50 a year.

• A pickup truck/full-size van with a trailer will go from $35 a year to $70 a year.

The new fees will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Local officials said, simply, it is becoming more and more expensive to operate the center and dispose of recyclables and waste.

West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith said the council's public works, facilities, and sustainability committee had approved sending the fee hikes to the full council for a vote.

"These fees have not been amended in 10 years, meanwhile the cost to dispose of these materials has increased significantly, particularly over the last several years," Ledwith said.

Ledwith said the fee hikes were factored into budgeting for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Councilman Barry Walters, who heads the subcommittee, said a permit fee adjustment was a long time coming.

"I do think that its time to kind of recover the costs that we do spend on recycling and waste," Walters, a Democrat, said. "So I, obviously, am in support of the increase. I know that it is still below some of our surrounding neighbors.

"As such, we're trying to keep the costs as low as we can, but we can't keep it so low that we're losing so much money on it," he continued. "It's time."

Republican council member Mary Fay, who eventually voted in favor of the increase, expressed concern about doubling a fee imposed on the public.

"Generally speaking, they're not a big out-of-pocket item, but we're actually doubling the rates. I understand they haven't increased in quite some time. Was there any thought in staging them? Because it is a big jump," Fay said.

Ledwith said the issue was discussed and a phasing in the fees was broached by town staff.

Ultimately, he said, the costs have increased so much and it has been a decade since the fees were changed. As a result, officials thought this fee hike as it was approved was necessary.

Ledwith said, in the future, he would bring any future fee issues to the council before a resolution was drafted.

For the minutes of the Nov. 12 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.