Tipping Fees on the Rise Providing Some Long-Awaited Relief to the Industry

Date: March 21, 2006

Source: Waste Business Journal

Average waste disposal pricing or tipping fees were up 4.5% over the last year that ended in December 2005. The biggest gainers were landfills whose prices rose 5.5% to $37.34/Ton on a weighted average basis. Taken together, landfills, transfer stations, materials recovery facilities, and waste-to-energy plants collectively average $40.67/Ton.

Rising prices seem to indicate that facility operators, particularly the private sector which controls 75% of disposal (by volume), is getting some long awaited financial relief. Municipalities and commercial customers seem to understand the need for price increases given notably higher fuel, medical and labor costs of late.

Given that these higher costs apply to everyone in the business, there has been less opportunity for smaller companies to take market share by offering lower prices. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case since the larger organizations are better able to negotiate lower operating costs through volume business.

For more information, contact James Thompson, President of Waste Business Journal Tel. 619.793.5190. www.wasteinfo.com.

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