The typical Atlanta household's annual trash and recycling bill could rise about 23% over the next two years under a proposal working its way through City Hall. For downtown residents in single-family and small-multifamily buildings, it is one of the few city charges that shows up as a distinct line rather than folded into rent.
The Department of Public Works says rising fuel, labor and operating costs, together with an aging garbage-truck fleet, have left the solid-waste program needing a more sustainable funding source. In June, DPW commissioner Cyril Turner said the department needed new funding to address a $53 million solid-waste deficit.
The specific numbers: the standard annual charge would go from $559 today to $619 in fiscal 2027 and $685 in fiscal 2028, according to DPW presentations. The first-year increase works out to roughly $1.15 more per week. What that buys currently is weekly trash and recycling collection, yard waste collection every other week — collected weekly in practice, the city says — and up to 12 bulk-waste collections a year at no additional charge.
Not every category moves the same way. Rates for backyard collection, including discounted service for qualifying residents, would stay flat in 2027 while the city studies operational changes. Multifamily collection rates would fall substantially, with new service-frequency options proposed — relevant for a downtown housing stock that skews heavily toward apartment buildings.
The money is earmarked for two things: a fund to replace the department's old trucks, 31% of which the city says are beyond their lifespan, and a three-month operating reserve. City officials stress the rates are not final, and the city scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for 10 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
Original reporting: Axios Atlanta (2026-08-11)