City to consider raising garbage rates for West Salem
West Salem residents may see their garbage bills go up by about $1 a month in January, under new waste collection rates and services the Salem City Council will consider during its meeting Monday.
Under the proposed rates, Salem residents in Marion County wouldn’t see any price changes, and all Salem residents would have the option to get a larger garbage can. City residents who live in Marion County already pay higher rates than residents in Polk County.
Councilors will be considering recommendations from the city’s Solid Waste Committee, which in November approved the rate change request from the Mid-Valley Garbage and Recycling Association. The association includes the six solid waste haulers who collect trash in the Salem area.
READ IT: Proposed garbage rates and changes
In 2026, Polk County residents will see their rates increase by 3.7% for carts, 9.1% for containers and 0.7% for drop boxes. Most residential customers would pay $14.40 more per year, according to the report.
There will be a public hearing on the rates and service changes during the Monday, Nov. 24, city council meeting. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be both in-person at the Loucks Auditorium at Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E., and available to watch online.
To comment remotely, sign up on the city website between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube in English and Spanish.
For written comments, email [email protected] before 5 p.m. on Monday, or submit on paper to the Customer Service Center at 440 Church St. S.E., Suite 500. Include a statement indicating the comment is for the public record.
The increase would bring the cost of the most common garbage service, a 35-gallon container, to $33.05 per month in Polk County. That service currently costs $37.85 per month in Marion County.
In January 2027, rates would go up by 4.6% for carts, 5.6% for containers and 3.2% for drop boxes. It would be an additional $18 per year on top of the previous increase for most residential customers.
The association asked for rate increases in Polk County in both 2026 and 2027, to stay above an 8% pre-tax profit. The minimum profit target was previously agreed upon with the city according to a staff report. Without the Polk County increase, the profit return for 2026 would be 5.6%, and then fall further to 0.9% the next year, according to the report.
The proposal also includes a new 95-gallon trash container option, per request from residents according to the staff report. It’s 30 gallons larger than the current available service, and hundreds of customers in Salem have been using multiple garbage containers due to a lack of room.
If approved, the cost for a 95-gallon trash container would be $56.40 for Marion County per month and $47.20 in Polk County per month. It would include a 95-gallon trash can and a recycling container and yard clippings and greens collection container of equal size. If implemented, the service estimates families now paying for multiple containers can save up to $144 per year.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
