Rehoboth Beach adopts waste and recycling service changes

At its meeting November 19, the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners adopted operational changes that will impact residential waste, recycling, and yard waste services.

Commissioners amended the definition of waste container such that all containers for trash, recyclables, and yard waste must made of reusable, rigid plastic and have a metal bar that makes them compatible with the tipper mechanism on city refuse trucks. This change becomes effective July 1, 2022. Residents may purchase tippable waste containers from hardware stores, or 95-gallon, logoed containers are available from the City of Rehoboth Beach. In the future, the city will offer smaller waste containers as well.

Operational changes, effective beginning January 1, include:

• ending twice-a-week pickup at the end of October rather than the end of November; however, the city will provide refuse pickup on the Friday after Thanksgiving
• scheduling yard waste pickup on every other Wednesday (rather than on the first, third, and fifth Wednesdays) to coincide with every-other-week recycling pickup
• consolidating seasonal weekly loose leaf service so that pickup takes place on the southside of Rehoboth on Thursdays and the northside on Fridays.

In addition, Commissioners approved billing for refuse services on a quarterly, rather than annual, basis. Beginning July 1, residents will receive a consolidated quarterly utility bill for water, wastewater, and refuse services. Finally, the fee for optional yard waste containers was changed to match the price charged to the city for the containers, which currently is $70.

Commissioners will discuss potential changes to refuse service fees at the December 6 workshop.