Residents of Phenix City will have to pay up for additional city trash bins if they want their excess garbage collected, according to a recent announcement from the City of Phenix City. 

Phenix City’s curbside garbage service will no longer collect trash from a resident’s own bin as of September 1, 2022. 

The decrease in service and increase in cost comes as the city switches to an automated trash pickup service provided by Waste Management — a company located in Columbus, Ga. at 2015 Veterans Parkway. The use of a Columbus company also sends Phenix City residents’ dollars across state lines instead of keeping them in-state by using an Alabama company.

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While all residents are already required to use a city-provided trash bin, additional trash that does not fit in the single bin will now be required to be placed in an additional city-provided bin. The additional bins will cost residents another $12.24 each month on top of their already-increased monthly bill.

The city’s announcement comes on the heels of two other notable hits to residents’ wallets. 

Just this past March, the city increased its standard residential trash collection rate to $21.09 per month for a single bin’s pickup. The increased rates are now being met with a decrease in service from the city, forcing residents to either pay the additional $12.24 each month if their trash cannot all fit within the single bin.  The ordinance which increased the trash collection rates in March 2022 also specifies that the rate shall continue to increase each year on February 1st. 

During the same time period, Phenix City also changed the billing structure for public water and sewage, both decreasing the number of “free” gallons per month included within the base rate and increasing the cost per gallon for each gallon thereafter. The water rate increase raised many residents’ monthly bills by as much as 50% — a staggering increase during challenging economic times for many.

 The city also recently voted to increase sales tax within city limits to a whopping 9.75% on July, 19, 2022, placing the city in a tie for the fifth highest total sales tax rate in the nation. 

It has become quite obvious that Phenix City’s government has mismanaged its funds for quite some time, and residents are now expected to pay up each month to cover the city government’s losses. 

Residents of Phenix City can contact their city council members to voice their opinions about the multiple rate increases through the city’s official website here.