The adjustment combines a 4.82% Consumer Price Index increase, a 0.28% fuel adjustment and a 1.47% increase tied to disposal costs. Designed by Magnific

 

BIGGS, CA (MPG) – Biggs residents began paying 6.57% more for garbage service Sept. 16 after the City Council approved Waste Management’s annual rate adjustment and authorized negotiations toward another five-year agreement with the company.

The Biggs City Council authorized the increase Sept. 8 in accordance with the city’s franchise agreement, raising basic residential service from $27.21 to $29 per month, an increase of $1.79. Customers using a 64-gallon trash cart began paying $38.56, up from $36.18, while service with a 96-gallon trash cart increased from $44.49 to $47.41.

The adjustment combines a 4.82% Consumer Price Index increase, a 0.28% fuel adjustment and a 1.47% increase tied to disposal costs at the Neal Road Landfill. City Administrator Nicolas Gauthier said his review found Waste Management’s calculations were consistent with the city’s existing agreement.

Gauthier said the contract uses a federal index for water, sewer and trash collection services to calculate the inflation adjustment. Diesel prices increased 13.31%, but the contract subtracts the inflation adjustment before applying fuel’s share of Waste Management’s operating costs.

Disposal costs also rose after the Neal Road Landfill municipal solid-waste rate climbed from $56.18 per ton in July 2025 to $64.88 per ton this July. The contract formula applies the portion of that change not already accounted for through inflation.

Commercial customers also began paying higher rates. A 64-gallon commercial trash cart increased from $95.32 to $101.58 per month, a 2-yard bin from $168.63 to $179.70 and a 6-yard bin from $295.87 to $315.29. Residential overage and contamination charges also increased, while the late-payment fee remains the greater of 2.5% or $5 and the returned-check fee remains $35.

The city’s review also uncovered a billing error affecting some commercial recycling customers.

A Waste Management representative said the company discovered its rate sheet did not match a contract provision allowing commercial customers a certain amount of recycling service at no additional charge. Some businesses had been billed for the service since the current agreement began.

Waste Management reviewed the affected accounts and issued credits to active customers for charges dating back to when the error began. The businesses were also notified about the credits and the reason for them.

The rate action came immediately after the council authorized Gauthier to begin negotiating a continuation of Waste Management’s franchise without issuing a new request for proposals.

Biggs initially selected Waste Management through a competitive process in 2017. That five-year agreement expired in 2022 and was replaced by the current agreement, which began Sept. 16, 2022, and runs through Sept. 30, 2027.

Gauthier said he generally favors competitive bidding but found little reason to expect Biggs could obtain a lower price by changing providers.

“We have the third cheapest rate per month out of all the local areas,” Gauthier said.

His comparison showed Willows at $23.78 and Chico at $26.32 below Biggs’ previous $27.21 basic residential rate. Gridley was $29.44. Those communities, like Biggs, are served by Waste Management. Live Oak, Oroville, Marysville, Yuba City, Wheatland and Colusa are served by Recology, with rates ranging from $30.70 in Oroville to $43.17 in Colusa.

Waste Management attributed the lower rates in Willows and Chico in part to geography and scale. Willows has a nearby transfer station, while Chico serves a much larger population. Biggs is relatively compact, but collection vehicles must travel farther to unload at Neal Road.

The council’s Sept. 8 action authorized negotiations toward another five-year agreement, and any proposed contract will return to the council for approval. If negotiations do not produce acceptable terms, the city retains the option of seeking competitive proposals.

The existing agreement gives Waste Management exclusive responsibility for collection, transportation, processing, recycling and disposal of solid waste, recyclable materials and green waste within Biggs.