Several transfer station disposal rates, including fees for construction and demolition waste and bulky item waste, are set to increase on Jan. 1.

The fee increases come after concerns that a large number of people are disposing of commercial waste at the transfer station and taking advantage of the station’s rates, which are cheaper than several nearby towns, said Tim Barber, the director of public works.

The transfer station has seen an increase in construction and demolition waste, which includes sinks and toilets, as well as an increase in heavy loads, he added.

Currently Dartmouth’s rates are slightly lower than surrounding communities, which Barber said could be why there is an uptick of heavy loads coming into Dartmouth.

To try to mitigate this uptick, construction and demolition waste rates will increase from $150 to $195 per ton to meet the rates of surrounding communities, which range between $190 and $220 per ton, Barber said. The minimum fee for the 200 pound limit will remain at $15 with anything over that following the new fee of $195 per ton.

Within the bulky item waste program, the fee for mattress and box spring pick-up and station drop-off will increase, with the pick-up fee increasing from $45 to $50 and the drop-off fee increasing from $35 to $40.

This proposed increase comes at a time when the transfer station has seen an increase in the disposal of mattresses and box springs with some people disposing of multiple, possibly from rental units in or outside of Dartmouth, Barber said.

At a Board of Public Works meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19, Barber said the department doesn’t want to increase fees to a point that people would rather discard mattresses on the side of the road.

“We do want to incentivize that this is for our residents to dispose of any items,” he said.

The minimum tipping fee, which is a charge for disposing waste materials, will increase for waste not in an orange SMART bag from $12 to $13 for anything under 200 pounds.

Residents enrolled in the Save Money and Reduce Trash waste reduction program can dispose of their waste for free so long as the waste is in an orange SMART bag.

There will also be an increase from $114 to $130 per ton for all vehicles up to two tons for loose municipal waste not in an orange SMART bag.

At the Dec. 19 Board of Public Works meeting, board members unanimously voted to impose the new fees, with Chair Robert Almy saying that the increase is a “fairly minor adjustment right now.”