It will cost more for commercial haulers to dispose of solid waste at the territory’s landfills beginning Jan. 1, when tipping fees will increase from $3.75 per cubic yard to $5, adhering to a plan of incremental hikes that was approved by the Public Services Commission in June 2021.
Additional increases are planned over the following two years, for a rate of $6.25 in 2025, before capping off at $7.50 in 2026, according to the fee schedule approved in 2021.
Solid waste tipping fees are mandated by the PSC and are assessed at solid waste facilities around the world to recover the cost of managing solid waste processing and disposal sites, the Waste Management Authority said in a press release.
For example, on the United States mainland, the average municipal solid waste landfill tipping fee increased 8.2 percent in 2022 to $58.47 per ton, according to Statista, a global data company. They were highest in the Northeast, at $75.92 per ton. For comparison, 1 cubic yard of loose gravel equals 1.1 tons.
The VIWMA fees are used to help pay for the cost of waste disposal — operations, equipment purchases, environmental monitoring costs, etc. — it said.
After years of opposition, they were finally implemented in 2016 by the PSC but were largely suspended in 2017 after a disagreement over how trash was measured at Anguilla — by weight — versus Bovoni — by volume — after its weigh-scale broke. Haulers stopped collecting garbage, the fee was put on hold, and then the twin hurricanes of September 2017 hit, leading to a massive emergency cleanup effort.
The fees were introduced once again in January 2022 and are now based on volume — cubic yards — and are assessed at the territory’s three disposal facilities: the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix, the Bovoni landfill on St. Thomas, and the Susannaberg Transfer Station on St. John.
The Waste Management Authority also announced holiday closures for its administrative offices on St. Croix for the Crucian Christmas Festival. They will be closed from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4 for the Food, Arts and Crafts Fair. Administrative offices will be closed territory-wide from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 5 for the Children’s Parade.
During the closures, residents are asked to take their household waste to the nearest bin site, either Cotton Valley, Concordia, Mon Bijou or the Peter’s Rest Convenience Center.
The territory’s landfills and convenience centers also will be closed on Dec. 25, Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.
For more information on the solid waste tipping fees, contact Solid Waste Director Floy M. Sackey at 340-626-7768 or the Division of Education and Communications Management at 340-474-2811 or communications@viwma.org.
