Georgetown residents will see their trash collection rates increase Oct. 1

Georgetown will raise its rates for residential and commercial trash as well as recycling services beginning Oct. 1.

The rate increases will cover the growing costs of providing solid waste services, Assistant Public Works Director April Haughey said at a June 9 City Council workshop.

What residents should know

Solid waste rates will increase in increments from fiscal year 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.

Officials proposed a 5% residential increase for FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28, tapering down to 3% by FY 2030-31. For a standard residential customer, this means the monthly bill will go up by $1.24 in FY 2026-27, from $24.78 to $26.02.

Commercial rates will see an 8% increase in FY 2026-27, eventually dropping to a 5% increase by FY 2030-31. A business using a standard cart once a week will see a $3.36 monthly increase, while a business using a 4-cubic-yard dumpster once a week will see a $12.65 monthly increase.

Downtown shared containers will increase by 15% in FY 2026-27, followed by a 10% increase in FY 2027-28, and then 5% increases through FY 2030-31.

The cause

The major driver for the rate increase is the city’s waste collection contract with Texas Disposal Systems, which increases by 4% every year.

Revenue from solid waste collection will also go toward redesigning downtown alleys and a pilot program for downtown mobile waste collection, Haughey said.