Garbage rates rising across Sonoma County

Sonoma County supervisors this week signed off on new rate increases for curbside pickup of trash, recycling and green waste outside city limits.

With similar decisions facing elected representatives for eight cities in the county, ratepayers behind 145,000 residential and commercial accounts countywide can expect to see increases from $1 to $6 per billing cycle by the end of the year. The adjustment is expected to appear on monthly bills for unincorporated county residents this month.

The average monthly bill is expected to rise to $32.32 per month, up from $30.02 last year. Rates are typically higher for customers who live in more rural areas.

The Ratto Group, the county’s dominant garbage hauler and recycling company, is raising rates to cover costs associated with the county’s landfill maintenance and outhaul of green waste, according to Trish Pisenti, a division manager for Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works.

Sonoma Compost, a private company, ceased its operation at the Central Landfill west of Cotati last month due to terms spelled out in the settlement of a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit. Now, the Ratto Group must haul green waste to various composting facilities in Mendocino County, Napa County, Novato and Vacaville - a $2 million annual cost increase, according to the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, which oversees composting operations.

The new rates went into effect for ratepayers in unincorporated Sonoma County on Oct. 1. Cities are expected to adopt similar increases by the end of the year, according to Eric Koenigshofer, a spokesman for the Ratto Group.

Sonoma is the only city in the county not served by the company.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or ?angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.