By Russ Tarby
Contributing Writer
When the Liverpool Village Board of Trustees approved raising its required trash sticker prices on Nov. 16, the motion stipulated that “the increase in sticker fees will take effect Dec. 28, or when the current supply of stickers at Nichols Grocery runs out, whichever comes first.”
After the Star-Review reported the upcoming price increase, shoppers at Nichols Supermarket have apparently been stocking up on stickers at their original prices. Green stickers for up to 15 pounds of trash cost 75 cents while orange stickers for up to 30 pounds cost $1.50.
But any day now, the stickers will cost $1 for green and $2 for orange. The stickers are sold only at Nichols Supermarket on First Street.
The last full order of the lower-priced stickers was delivered to Nichols on Nov. 16, and Liverpool Mayor Gary White estimates that those will be sold out by the end of the first week of December.
Last month, the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency informed private haulers and municipalities, including the village of Liverpool, that tipping fee increases would go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.
OCRRA has instituted a $5 per ton increase to the Municipal Solid Waste tip fee bringing the total rate to $100 per ton. And for the first time ever, OCRRA will charge $34 per ton for recycled materials.
White said the village had to raise prices for trash stickers in order to cover the increased costs of disposal.
The sticker program began in Liverpool circa 1990. This will be the first time the village raised trash sticker prices three decades, White said.
Over the past several years, the village has generated an annual average of 500 tons of solid waste and 200 tons of recyclables.
Deputy Village Clerk Sandra Callahan reminded residents and property owners that they can use the sticker system to dispose of large items as well as regular garbage.
“Large items with the appropriate number of required stickers are picked up weekly with the regular trash,” Callahan wrote in a recent email. “No appointment or special instructions are necessary.”
For example, six orange stickers are needed to dispose of a 180-pound sofa bed, while a 120-pound king mattress would need four orange stickers.
Washers, dryers, water heaters, stoves and dishwashers can be disposed of with five orange stickers. Smaller items such as kitchen chairs or stuffed recliners require one or two orange stickers each.
To see a complete list of large items and their necessary number of stickers, visit villageofliverpool.org and click on the Department of Public Works page.
The village is unable to accept items containing Freon, such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers and refrigerators, or other electrical appliances such as televisions and computers. For information on disposing of such items, contact OCRRA.org or call 315-453-2870.
