ADS proposed last December to Lincolnton, GA, to start trash collection
with a rate very like what Veolia bid to Lowndes County, with increases
every year after that.

The Lincoln Journal wrote 6 December 2012,

Council hears proposal to privatize garbage collection,

The Lincolnton City Council heard a proposal to privatize the
municipality’s trash collection service at its regular meeting held
Monday, December 3. The Lincolnton City Council heard a proposal to
privatize the municipality’s trash collection service at its regular
meeting held Monday, December 3.

The presentation was made by Kevin Rupinta, general manager, and
Steve Edwards, area municipal marketing manager, of Advanced
Disposal, the Columbia County company that also serves Lincoln
County.

The written proposal stated: “Since Advanced Disposal collects
garbage in Lincoln County and runs through and around the City of
Lincolnton, Advanced Disposal offers the following to reduce the
city’s expenses:

(1) Purchase the city’s garbage trucks at an agreed upon fair market
value.

(2) Purchase the city’s carts at an agreed upon fair market value.

(3) Provide garbage service for the city at rates that mirror those
charged to the county.”

The rates quoted were:

2012 — $12.50 per month.

2013 — $12.99 per month.

2014 — $13.18 per month.

2015 — $13.37 per month.

2016 — $13.57 per month.

2017 — $13.99 per month.

So that’s $12.99 from ADS to Lincolnton for 2013, and

$13.05 from Veolia (now ADS) to Lowndes County for 2013.
For Lincolnton, that’s 1.5% per year increase from 2013 on,
except a jump of 3% from 2016 to 2017.
At 3% per year from then on, prices would be about $14.84 in 2019,
which is more than

the $14.74 All-Green Services bid to Lowndes County,
and it would take until 2026 at 3% raise per year to get higher than

ADS’s bid of $18.39.

But what’s this?

In the proposal, Advanced Disposal likewise indicated that the city [Lincolnton]
should continue to charge its current rates to cover administrative
charges.

Lowndes County discontinued charges for its former waste collection site cards.
And now that ADS owns Veolia, and

Lowndes County is suing Deep South Sanitation to stop it collecting in the
unincorporated parts of the county,
ADS would have more incentive here than in Lincolnton to raise rates,
and not much competition to stop it.

We can guess how much rates will go up, but we’ve got some pretty good clues
that indicate ADS’s rates will go up.

-jsq