Peters Township Approves Waste Contract

Peters Township Council unanimously approved a new contract for waste collection and disposal with the South Hills Council of Governments. Beginning in 2024 through 2028, Waste Management will use automated services to handle garbage and recycling pickup. Residents and property owners will be given a bin for each type of disposal, additional bins would cost 100 dollars per year. There is a limit on how much waste each bin can handle, but glass recycling can be done from your home bins.  There were some reservations despite the five yes votes and no opposition in the meeting minutes. Council members were hesitant on the cost of Waste Management’s automation for trash pickup. In the first year of this four-year contract, the cost of waste collection services would increase 27 percent from 70 dollars to 100 dollars quarterly. The services cost would then increase by 7 percent every year after. Township Manager Pete Lauer says it’s a combination of labor costs like fuel and equipment costs. The lack of bidders for the service also played a role, only Waste Management and Westmoreland Landfill Supply applied for the rights. Waste Management’s deal was said to be substantially cheaper. Decisions on how payment will be handled for township residents through property taxes, or the township’s sanitary authority and Jordan Tax Service will be made in upcoming council meetings.