8-27-2026 11:31pm

Warren County Considers First Solid Waste Fee Increase in More Than 20 Years

Beth Callahan Editor

WARREN COUNTY, OH — Warren County residents could eventually see a small increase in their trash bills as county officials begin the process of raising a solid waste generation fee that has remained unchanged for more than 20 years.

Warren County Facilities Management Director Trevor Hearn told county commissioners during their Aug. 25 work session that the county currently receives 50 cents for every ton of waste generated in Warren County and hauled to a landfill.

The fee, which has not increased in more than 21 years, is the second lowest in Ohio, Hearn said. He told commissioners the state average is approximately $5.15 per ton.

The money supports Warren County's state-mandated solid waste district and pays for programs including roadside trash cleanup, paint, Styrofoam and electronics recycling, tire collection events and the removal of illegally dumped appliances and other debris.

Hearn said more than 4,000 tires were collected during a county recycling event this spring. County crews also respond when appliances are dumped along roadways and clean up debris left at abandoned homeless encampments.

The current 50-cent fee generates a little more than $100,000 annually, while operating expenses are just under $400,000 per year. The district has three full-time employees, along with several employees whose time is divided between solid waste operations and facilities management. Expenses also include vehicles, equipment and disposal fees.

For years, the difference between revenue and expenses has been covered with settlement money Warren County received following the closure of the Bigfoot landfill in the late 1990s. Hearn said that fund is now expected to be depleted by summer 2027.

That looming deadline prompted the discussion about making the solid waste program financially self-sustaining.

Hearn initially discussed a fee of about $3.50 per ton, which he estimated could generate between $600,000 and $700,000 annually. Part of that additional revenue would allow the county to establish an emergency reserve of approximately $250,000 to $300,000, an amount Hearn said is recommended by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Commissioners, however, expressed interest in phasing in any increase rather than collecting enough to fully establish the reserve in the first year.

Commissioner Shannon Jones said the county needs to cover the cost of operating the solid waste district and establish an appropriate reserve, but she did not want the county collecting more than necessary.

“I don't want to collect more than is necessary,” Jones said, suggesting a stepped approach could allow the county to build reserves over several years while limiting the immediate increase.

Commissioner Dave Young also supported exploring a phased increase, saying it would allow officials to evaluate how much revenue the fee actually generates before implementing another adjustment.

For the typical Warren County household, Hearn said the impact would remain relatively small. The average resident generates slightly more than one ton of trash per year. At the current rate, the generation fee amounts to roughly 60 cents annually. Hearn estimated the increase being discussed could cost an average household approximately $4 per year.
No final fee was approved during the work session.

Instead, commissioners gave Hearn direction to move forward with developing a proposal and beginning the required approval process.

That process includes public notice and a public hearing, consideration by the solid waste district's policy committee and approval from more than 70% of Warren County's municipalities. The proposal would then return to county commissioners for final action.

Commissioners indicated Hearn did not need to return to them before beginning the public hearing process.

Young said the need for an adjustment was clear because Warren County residents have benefited for more than two decades from the landfill settlement money that subsidized the service.

“We understand why this is clearly in the public's interest,” Young said. “It has to be done.”