Residents in West View and Sewickley Hills raise questions about trash bill increases
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — From the South Hills to the North Hills and everywhere in between, people are talking trash about waste management companies.
Imagine the shock when the trash bill arrives, and it didn't just increase a little, it more than doubled.
KDKA-TV found drastic price differences in what the same companies are charging people for very similar services. In some places, you can negotiate your own trash pick-up rate and compare companies.
But for most, it's coordinated by your council or borough leaders. If they're not tough negotiators, you're likely footing the bill.
It impacts people like John Kichi, who is now paying more to have his trash taken away.
"Quarterly, it was $66, and now it's $113," the Sewickley Hills resident said. "Bell Acres was $66 and now it's $84."
He lives down the street from Bell Acres. He showed KDKA-TV his trash bill from Valley Waste. He'll now be charged $37.77 a month and up to $40 a month by 2025. He'll also need to pay extra for new trash carts.
KDKA-TV found a copy of the 2023 Valley Waste pricing on Bell Acres' website. It shows the pricing of $28 a month with trash carts included.
"Our price increase is 10 times the rate of inflation," Kichi said. "But in adjacent Bell Acres that is a half mile down the hill here, their increase was a tepid three times the rate of inflation of 25 percent."
KDKA-TV called Valley Waste, but our calls were not returned.
Sewickley Hills' council president said it is "always apples to oranges," saying there are more people and more rural stretches in his borough and that's likely why residents there pay more.
Kichi doesn't buy it.
"What our borough could have done was require Vogel and Valley Waste to show proof of the increased costs they say made this rate increase necessary," he said. "But they did not ask for that."
He thinks the borough failed to advocate for its residents and got stuck accepting the one and only bid.
"I think everyone in this borough can afford the $47 increase, but I don't want to afford it when it's done this way," Kichi said.
It's the same situation in West View
"It was infuriating because while the council didn't inform us, Waste Management didn't inform us, and it was right around the holiday time," said Samannaaz Khoja, a resident of West View.
Khoja saw her bill hike $30 with no notice. KDKA-TV took her complaints to Bruce Fromlak, the borough's manager.
"The biggest thing was the sticker shock because no one was informed, and we were under the impression notice was going to go out prior to the bill coming out," Fromlak said.
Fromlak says Waste Management failed to send notices before the new bills went out. In a statement to KDKA-TV, Waste Management said, "Increased wages, fuel costs, insurance and other trucking expenses have impacted the cost of doing business." It added that it offers the best price it can for the services needed by each community.
"We only got one set of bids back and it was from Waste Management," Fromlak said. "And according to the fee structure that we received, it was either going to be a 30 percent increase or it could have been a 300 percent."
Borough leaders faced a decision: take the increase or take the risk.
"We could put it out for rebid, but they could also come back and raise the prices," Fromlak said.
Fromlak said without any other offers, boroughs find themselves stuck. Kichi has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. He is also asking his borough to renegotiate.
"There is a monopoly in the trash collection business, and I think that has to be looked at," Kichi said.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, the AG's office said, "Part of our office's mission is to protect the free enterprise system and ensure that Pennsylvania markets remain free and open. If consumers have concerns they may file a complaint with our Office online at: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/antitrust-complaint/."
Sewickley Hills said it will now offer residents a subsidy at the end of the year of $10 back a month or $30 a quarter.
