Silver Bay raises garbage rates, tightens recycling and pickup rules

Silver Bay households that receive quarterly utility bills will see a set of garbage and recycling changes take effect July 1, including a higher monthly trash rate, a steeper pink-tag price and new limits on what the city will accept. The notice also warns that curbside pickup rules are getting stricter, with garbage and recycling due by 8:00 a.m. and containers placed on opposite sides of the driveway.

The residential garbage rate will rise from $27.50 to $30.00 per month, and pink tags will increase to $2.50 each. The city said the first 32-gallon bag or garbage can each week does not need a tag, but any extra bags or cans will. That detail matters for residents who have been setting out more than one can without checking the count, because the new price structure now applies directly to overflow trash.

Brush and yard waste disposal is also narrowing sharply. As of July 1, the city will accept brush and yard waste only from Silver Bay residents who receive quarterly utility and garbage billing. Brush and debris collected by the city, by businesses, by people doing work for profit, or by residents who do not receive a city utility bill will no longer be accepted. The change follows earlier council discussion that tied the garbage contract with D&D Services to the end of June and raised the possibility of ending brush and yard waste disposal at 15 Golf Course Road.

Recycling is headed to a slower schedule too. Starting October 1, pickup will move to every-other-week service on Wednesdays, replacing weekly collection. The city has already laid out collection dates through 2027, signaling that residents will need to adjust their routines well in advance and keep track of which Wednesdays are pickup days.

The City of Silver Bay Utilities Department says residential water, sewer and garbage services are billed quarterly in January, April, July and October, which is why the notice was aimed squarely at those customers. Silver Bay has already dealt with brush disposal this year as well, after Full Sun Services offered a free city-wide brush clean-up with homeowner rules for accepted debris. The latest changes make clear that the city is trying to control costs, tighten what goes into the system and reset pickup habits before summer turns to fall.