Solid Waste Financing Ordinance
On June 23, 2026, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved the Solid Waste Financing Ordinance, which establishes a $1-per-ton fee on waste haulers, not consumers, for waste permanently deposited at landfills within Ottawa County.
Effective October 1, 2026, the fee applies to all waste brought into these facilities, regardless of where it originated, including trash generated outside Ottawa County. In fact, approximately 70% of waste disposed of in Ottawa County comes from other counties.
Revenue from the fee can only be spent on activities related to solid waste and materials management, including recycling, resource recovery, household hazardous waste collection, and costs associated with ensuring landfills remain safe both during operations and long after they close.
The $1-per-ton fee is charged by landfill facilities to waste haulers bringing waste to the facilities. Ottawa County does NOT require the waste haulers to bill their customers for the fee. It would be inappropriate for the haulers to put a separate charge on your bill and call it an “Ottawa County Fee” UNLESS they:
- Charge you by the weight of the trash they collect from you AND
- Apply the $1-per-ton rate ONLY on the ACTUAL weight of your collected trash.