If you have your trash and recycling picked up by a waste management service, paying your garbage bill is a regular necessity. But how often should you actually pay this bill to avoid late fees and keep service? Most standard garbage collection bills are due monthly or quarterly.
Understanding the frequency that your garbage bill must be paid can help you budget properly and manage this utility payment responsibly
Monthly Billing is Most Common
For most waste collection customers, garbage bills are issued on a monthly basis. Your regular service fee covers pickup and disposal for that calendar month.
Paying garbage fees monthly is the standard billing cycle used by major waste management companies like
- Waste Management (WM)
- Republic Services
- Waste Connections
- Advanced Disposal
So expect to get a garbage bill in the mail or email each month if you use one of the major haulers. It’s the most common garbage bill frequency.
Quarterly Billing Options
Some garbage collection companies give customers the option of quarterly billing rather than monthly. With quarterly billing, your garbage bill covers a 3-month period instead of just 1 month.
This billing cycle means fewer bills to pay over the course of a year. But the quarterly bills are larger amounts since they include 3 months of fees.
If you travel a lot or just want fewer bills, billing every three months may be easier for you. But you need to plan your budget around the bigger amounts every three months instead of splitting the costs among the monthly bills.
Paying Bills to Match Service Frequency
Your garbage collection service level also determines appropriate bill payment frequency:
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Weekly pickup – Pay monthly or quarterly
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Biweekly pickup – Pay monthly typically
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Monthly pickup – Pay monthly or quarterly
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On-call pickup – Pay per pickup
Match how often you pay bills to your service schedule. Weekly or biweekly usually still involves monthly/quarterly bills but pays for each period’s service.
Due Dates Vary by Company
While most waste providers use monthly billing cycles, the actual bill due dates can vary:
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Waste Management – Due 15 days after monthly billing date
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Republic Services – Due 21 days after monthly billing
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Waste Connections – Due 15-30 days after monthly billing
So check your individual garbage bill or account details to see the specific due date each month rather than assuming a standard date. Set a reminder in your calendar to remember when payment is due.
Late Fees if Not Paid on Time
Garbage bills must be paid by each period’s due date to avoid late fees. If payment is not received on time, waste management companies typically charge:
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$10-20 late fee immediately
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1-1.5% monthly interest on unpaid balance
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Suspension of service after 60-90 days of nonpayment
Delinquent bills can also get sent to collections, damaging your credit score. So pay on time based on your billing cycle to avoid penalties.
Payment Options Offer Flexibility
Waste companies make paying your garbage bill quick and easy through options like:
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Auto-pay deductions from bank account
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Online bill pay via website
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Phone payments
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Checks via mail
Set up auto-pay or make one-time payments via your preferred method before each billing cycle’s due date.
Quarterly Billing Readily Available
Contact your waste provider’s customer service to ask about switching your garbage bill to quarterly vs monthly billing.
Most major haulers like WM, Republic Services and Waste Connections allow customers to select their preferred frequency, whether monthly, quarterly or sometimes bi-monthly.
Evaluate whether less frequent quarterly billing better matches your budgetary needs and makes garbage bill management simpler in your household.
Know Your Garbage Bill Cycles
Paying your waste collection bills on time prevents service disruptions while saving you money on late fees. Determine if monthly or quarterly billing aligns better to your finances. Then set reminders for due dates and make on-time payments via auto-pay or your preferred method. Understanding garbage bill cycles facilitates on-budget waste service.
How Do Collection Services Work
Cities and larger towns often provide trash collection for their communities. Other areas rely on providers like Waste Management or Republic Services. Depending on where you live, you may even have a choice between multiple collection services. Typically, areas with competing services have the lowest prices.
Most collection services pick up regular household garbage once a week on a designated day. If recyclable and yard waste service is also available, they may be picked up on the same day or another designated day. Some collection services allow customers to set out large junk items for bulk pickup at no charge on specified days, but most don’t. You’ll usually have to schedule bulk and hazardous waste pickup for a fee.
Disposal of these special items can be quite pricey. For example, a small bulb kit from Republic Services for disposing lightbulbs with mercury costs $91. A medium box that can hold up to 18 pounds of electronics for recycling costs $120 while a 10-yard dumpster for disposing of construction debris costs $611 for nine days. (Prices can vary greatly depending on where you live.)
What is considered trash?
Not all refuse is actually trash. The contents of your kitchen garbage bag aren’t classified the same way as that college-era sofa you want out of your basement is. How your trash is classified determines when it is picked up and whether there is an additional charge for picking it up.
Trash: This is the usual household garbage generated on a daily basis. Think pizza boxes, used dryer sheets, a broken ballpoint pen or a deflated basketball. Usually, these items are tossed in bags, put in trash containers and collected on a weekly basis.
Recyclables: Items that can be recycled vary depending on where you live and which collection service you use. In general, paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, soda cans, food cans, glass, certain plastics and cartons can be recycled. Most collection services do not charge an additional fee for recycling.
Yard Waste: Grass, leaves, plant trimmings and tree branches all qualify as yard waste. Many collection services offer a separate yard waste pickup service for an additional fee, usually $5 to $10 per month.
Junk: This is the bulky, heavy stuff that doesn’t fit in traditional garbage containers, such as a broken washing machine or barely-running freezer. Some collection services have designated bulk pickup days for these large items at no additional charge. Others require a special pickup, sometimes for a fee.
Hazardous waste: These items contain materials that can be hazardous, including automotive fluids and products, batteries, electronics, fluorescent light bulbs, garden chemicals, pesticides and paint products. Sharp items like syringes are also considered hazardous. Hazardous waste can be disposed of at specified drop-off locations, or you can arrange for pickup for a fee.
Here’s how a pay-as-you-throw trash collection program would work
FAQ
How much is garbage per month in California?
Why is my waste management bill different every month?
Why is garbage collection so expensive?
How much is garbage per month in Oregon?
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Monthly Rates
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20 Gallons weekly (food waste/yard debris exempt)
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$15.33
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32 Gallons monthly (food waste/yard debris exempt)
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$7.91
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32 Gallons every other week
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$17.77
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32 Gallons weekly
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$26.15
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How often do collection services pick up garbage?
Most collection services pick up regular household garbage once a week on a designated day. If recyclable and yard waste service is also available, they may be picked up on the same day or another designated day. Some collection services allow customers to set out large junk items for bulk pickup at no charge on specified days, but most don’t.
Does a yard waste collection service charge a fee?
Most collection services do not charge an additional fee for recycling. Yard Waste: Grass, leaves, plant trimmings and tree branches all qualify as yard waste. Many collection services offer a separate yard waste pickup service for an additional fee, usually $5 to $10 per month.
Do you need a trash collection service?
With few exceptions, most households hire a collection service and take their trash to the curb. Furthermore, the service costs to remove your trash depends greatly on where you live as well as the size of your containers, the local competition and other factors.
How much does garbage collection cost in Chicago?
Chicago residences, which receive garbage collection services provided by the Department of Streets and Sanitation, pay a garbage fee of $9.50 per month per dwelling unit. The fee will pay for a portion of the costs associated with weekly garbage collection services provided to these residences.