Gilbert Utility Bills to Drop 7.5 %

Gilbert, Ariz. – Gilbert residents will see a significant drop in their utility bills as the Town moves forward with a proposal to decrease Solid Waste bills by 7.5 percent.

This decrease, which is being reviewed by the Town Council as part of the budget process, comes after the Town moved forward with a variety of cost-cutting programs in an ongoing effort to be efficient and as green and sustainable as possible.

“Gilbert is committed to being a leader in green, sustainable programs that also maintain our clean and safe atmosphere,” said Town Manager Patrick Banger.   “Our team in Solid Waste continues to work hard and dedicate their daily activities to finding the best ways to provide low-cost, yet high-quality and convenient services.”

Gilbert’s proposed rate decrease comes even as the Town provides a uniquely high level of Solid Waste services. The Town provides refuse and recycle collection as well as several additional programs to support recycling and clean neighborhoods: free backyard compost bins, monthly bulk item collection at the curbside, recycle drop off locations, monthly appliance collection, free monthly landfill transfer station drop-off, and a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility operating three days a week.

“Residents are key to our continued success in keeping our rates low,” said Lou Andersen, Solid Waste Manager. “We save $67 per ton for recycling material as opposed to paying to have it wasted in a landfill. Our free compost binds save you money at home by creating fertilizer that you can use on your garden rather than impact your bills through the costs associated with a trip to a landfill. Donating to charity rather than throwing in the trash has a real impact, the kind that we are all seeing now in this bill decrease.”

The Town of Gilbert Solid Waste Team has been able to reduce overall operation expenses over the past few years as the revenue and customer bases continue to grow. 
 
• 110K Reduction in Route Miles Driven from 991K in 2009 to 881K in 2011.
• Renegotiated disposal contracts and closer transfer stations. 
• Increase in Recycle Revenue from 775K in 2010 to 918K in 2011. 
• Maintaining the recycle contract with good return on investment. 
• Fleet standardization and reduction in redundancy in parts inventory, replacement plan reduced total fleet maintenance cost from 1.9 million in 2009 to 1.25 million in 2011.
Learn more about Gilbert’s programs at www.gilbertaz.gov/recycle.