Athens city administration asked City Council on Monday night for permission to renew the city’s contract with Rumpke for solid waste services for another two years with no rate increases, the Athens County Independent reported from the council meeting.
City Service-Safety Director Andy Stone told the Athens County Independent the existing contract with Rumpke has been in place for three and a half years and is set to expire June 30, 2027. The current contract allows for a two-year extension subject to mutual agreement, he said.
“Tonight, I’m asking you for the authority to grant that extension,” Stone told the Athens County Independent. Stone and Mayor Steve Patterson cited the extension offer as a good agreement for customers and for city government, saying it would avoid the need to go to bid for services and would keep trash haul prices in place despite inflation, the Independent reported.
The city pays Rumpke between $1.89 million and $2 million annually to provide waste and recycling services, according to the Athens County Independent. In January 2024, Rumpke beat out the Athens-Hocking Recycling Center’s bid by about $300,000, the Independent reported.
Most Athens households pay $22.73 monthly for a single trash can, increasing to $31.35 for two cans and $34.50 for three cans, with a standard litter fee of $1 per month, the Independent reported. Residents who do curbside composting using a Rumpke container pay an additional $8.42 monthly.
Council members raised questions about competition and composting, the Independent reported. Council member Beth Clodfelter, at large, asked whether the Athens-Hocking Recycling Center would have a chance to bid; Stone said the center is no longer functioning as an organization after the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District absorbed it in late 2025. Council member Michael Wood, 3rd Ward, said open bidding should at least be considered, and Clodfelter asked that the solid waste district be asked whether it would be interested in bidding, the Independent reported.
The possible two-year extension will be placed on next Monday’s council agenda, to be discussed Nov. 2, according to the Athens County Independent. If approved, the extension would keep current household rates in place for Athens trash and recycling customers through the new term.
Photo: Kayura Mendonza, CC BY-SA