Painesville trash bills to rise as Major Waste adds fuel surcharge

Lake CountyThe company initially was entitled under its contract with the city to impose a 13% fuel surcharge, which would have increased a standard residential customer’s bill by about $3.05 a monthStaten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelBy Molly Walsh | mwalsh@cleveland.comPAINESVILLE, Ohio -- Painesville residents will see an increase on their trash bills this fall as Major Waste Disposal adds a temporary surcharge to offset rising diesel fuel costs.The company initially was entitled under its contract with the city to impose a 13% fuel surcharge, which would have increased a standard residential customer’s bill by about $3.05 a month.After city officials met with Major Waste representatives to discuss the increase, the company agreed to cut the surcharge to 6.5% through the end of 2026. That will add about $1.52 a month for standard residential customers and $1.46 for seniors.The surcharge will appear on the next quarterly bill, which the city expects to send later this week.The surcharge is based on a formula in Painesville’s contract with Major Waste that allows a 0.5% adjustment for every 10-cent increase in diesel prices above the contract’s base price of $3.60 per gallon.Major Waste said the sharp increase in diesel prices over the past six months triggered the provision for the first time. The company agreed to absorb half of the allowable increase in hopes that fuel prices will decline before the end of the year.“We work hard to keep costs as low as possible for our customers,” Christy Magyar, business director at Major Waste, said in a statement. “However, diesel prices have risen drastically over the past six months and continue to increase, creating a significant challenge for our small, family-owned business, just as rising costs have affected the families we serve.”Painesville switched its residential trash and recycling service from Republic Services to Major Waste in July after the city chose not to renew its contract with Republic.The transition followed a dispute between Painesville and Republic over $50 fees the company charged residents for retrieving trash and recycling carts. Painesville sued Republic over the charges, which Republic said were permitted under its contract with the city.Major Waste provides weekly trash and recycling collection, along with bulk-item and seasonal yard-waste pickup. Its contract also includes a senior discount.Molly Walsh covers Lake and Geauga Counties for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com. Previously, she covered business, criminal justice and breaking news. Molly also worked as a reporter for the Akron Beacon...This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.