Program Pricing & Invoicing

Basis for a Fee for Service Program

Recycling can be expensive and particularly costly when recycling "non-traditional" materials (film plastics, electronics, tires, etc). There is labor involved in many steps including management of the materials on/off site, education about material preparation & program awareness, customer service, etc. There are also supplies required for recycling materials, specifically for this film plastic material including, gaylord boxes, baling wire, and fuel. In addition, some materials, like film plastic, require the use of special equipment including industrial material balers and a forklift. These costs are what inhibits many recycling programs from both starting and/or continuing in the long term. 

To start this program and to make it viable/sustainable in the long term, there is a cost associated with participating. This cost is based on material weight (often referred to as a "recovery fee") and material weight is determined by center staff using an on-site industrial scale. The fee was developed using a budget that was approved by all involved program partners and focused only on covering the costs associated with the implementation of the program. This fee will be re-assessed annually and/or on an as needed basis to ensure it is accurate and reflective of the cost of program implementation.  

The weight based fee for this program was approved with the adoption of the program by the Eaton County Board of Commissioners at their regular board meeting on 4/21/2021. This weight based fee amount is subject to change by the Eaton County Board of Commissioners based on recommendations by the Department of Resource Recovery.  

Current Pricing 

The current price for participating in this program is solely based on the weight of the accepted materials. This means that participants are billed, through an invoicing system explained further below in the "Invoicing and Payment Process" section, for the amount of acceptable agricultural film plastic material that they choose to bring in for recycling. The process for calculating the weight is  completed on site and is explained below in the "Material Weight Calculation" section. 

Material Weight Calculation Process

When a participant  arrives for a scheduled appointment to drop off agricultural film plastic, staff will assist in the unloading process, weigh the material, record/assign the weight to the individual participant, the individual participant will then sign the material weight record indicating agreement and correct personal billing information. 

Invoicing and Payment Process

Using the information collected in the appointment scheduling process, verified by the participant during their appointment, and the associated weight collected at the site, department staff will generate an invoice that will be mailed or emailed (based on the preference selected in the registration form) to the individual program participant. Participant payments are due within 30 days of the invoice date. Invoices must be paid in full by CHECK ONLY. Credit card and/or cash payments are not available for this program at this time. Further payment instructions and information can be found on the individual invoice. 

*Non-payments and/or frequent late payments may be subject to collections and individuals may be prohibited from future participation in any or all Eaton County Department of Resource Recovery programs.*