Minnesota Competition! 2023 Brings 3 New Garbage Haulers to Rochester

If you want more options in who picks up your trash, 2023 is the year for you in Olmsted County!

In November, an Olmsted County ordinance was updated to bring more competition to the area and that led to three new garbage hauling licenses being granted.

Who's Been Added to the Garbage Hauling List in the RST?

• Aspen Waste Systems of Minnesota - They're active in the Twin Cities, Des Moines, IA, and St. Louis, MO.
• Harter's Disposal - Active in Wisconsin's Fox Valley.
• Walters Recycling and Refuse - Out of Blaine, Minnesota.

The three businesses will join Hometown Haulers, Waste Management, and LRS offering home and commercial pickup in Rochester early in 2023.

The Cost to Olmsted County Haulers Is Going Up

An increase in haulers' license fees comes with the new year, too.

The cost of a Class A Solid Waste Hauler License is making a huge jump, from $100 to $1,000.

A Class A License is required in Olmsted County for Commercial Haulers to provide Hauler Services for Mixed Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, Recyclable Materials, Source-Separated Organic Materials, Construction Debris, Demolition Debris, and/or Infectious Waste. The County limits the number of Class A licenses to twelve. (source)

The new Class C license will cost $600.

A Class C License is required in Olmsted County for Commercial Haulers to provide Hauler Services utilizing roll-off trucks hauling roll-off containers (“open top”), roll-off trailers and compactor boxes for Mixed Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, Recyclable Materials, Source-Separated Organic Materials, Construction Debris, Demolition Debris, and/or Infectious Waste. The County limits the number of Class C licenses to eight. (source)

How Does This Play Out for Residential Customers?

The general rule is more competition means more savings. The license jump from $100 to $1,000 is pretty darn large, but how that will affect residential customers is something to keep an eye on.

You want to do it, but you're not sure if it is allowed or not. Luckily, Jessica did the leg work and found out the truth!

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com