“Thurston County residents will pay more to have their trash hauled away next year if county commissioners approve a proposed 37.5 percent increase in disposal fees.

An additional 8.2 percent rate increase would take effect in 2012 under the proposed ordinance.

Recycling success comes at a price. Programs started by the county and its private hauler that reduce the waste sent to landfills also cut into the revenue needed to run the countys trash-disposal operations money that is raised through tipping fees. Tipping fees are assessed to residents and haulers who dump their trash at the Waste and Recovery Center in Hawks Prairie or one of its drop sites…

The state Transportation and Utilities Commission regulates the rates that LeMay, which picks up garbage for Thurston County customers who dont live in Olympia, can charge. Last week, LeMay filed a request with the commission for a rate increase that would take effect Jan. 1. Jeff Harwood, district manager for Grays Harbor, Lewis and Thurston counties, estimated that the move would increase the average homeowners bill by $2 to $3 a month. He said the company would not profit from the proposed increase,” quoting The Olympian.