Information About Charges and Fees

The information below applies throughout the United States. It is designed to help you understand the charges, surcharges, fees, and other amounts that may appear on your invoice. Each Waste Connections affiliate is responsible for managing its own operations and billing its customers, and the name, amount, calculation, and application of these charges and fees may vary by affiliate, service location, service type, contract terms, operating conditions, invoice practices, or other factors. These charges may appear under the same or similar names, or as part of a combined charge, depending on the invoicing practices of the Waste Connections affiliate providing your service. Your invoice may include one or more of the types of charges or fees described below.

In addition, service agreements used by Waste Connections affiliates may include a provision that mandates binding arbitration and waives class actions rights. Some of these service agreements do so by referring to this website. In such circumstances, the provisions below concerning binding arbitration and class action waiver apply.

Fuel and Material Surcharges

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Fuel and Material Surcharges may be assessed to help recover the costs of diesel, natural gas, compressed natural gas, electricity, and other hydrocarbon-based fuels, petroleum-based products, lubricants, parts, tires, and other materials or products used in or related to our overall business, including the operation, maintenance, and servicing of our fleet of vehicles and equipment.

These charges may fluctuate periodically, including monthly, based on changes in the cost to Waste Connections affiliates of fuel or fuel inputs, materials, supplies, and other related products. These charges may not be directly related to the costs of servicing any specific customer account, and instead may be based upon direct and indirect costs, expenses, and operational considerations incurred or expected to be incurred by Waste Connections affiliates on a local, regional, company-wide, or other basis so that we can recover fuel- and material-related costs and maintain consistent service levels and financial stability even as these costs fluctuate. The amount, calculation, and application of these charges may vary by service location, service type, affiliate, contract terms, invoicing practices, customer category, equipment used, operating conditions, or other factors.

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Environmental and Regulatory Charges

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Environmental and Regulatory Charges may be assessed for the recovery of operating and capital costs related to the ongoing and increasingly complex environmental, health and safety, transportation, and regulatory compliance requirements associated with the transportation of solid waste, as well as the operation of collection facilities, transfer stations, landfills, material recovery facilities, composting facilities, waste-to-energy facilities, landfill gas systems, and other waste management facilities.

Federal, state, and local environmental, health and safety, transportation, and other laws and regulations may, among other things, require obtaining permits or other authorizations to operate; limit the amount and type of substances our facilities can discharge or emit, restrict the way we handle, manage, process, treat, transport, or dispose of wastes; require monitoring, testing, reporting, closure, post-closure, corrective action, or financial assurance; and set standards for worker health and safety. Examples of compliance costs include, among other things, leachate and wastewater treatment and disposal, engineering, monitoring, testing, reporting, and compliance activities; special waste handling requirements; environmental insurance, financial assurance, and permitting costs; vehicle emissions monitoring and compliance; and capital investments or operating expenses associated with regulatory compliance.

These charges are not directly related to the costs of any specific customer account. Rather, these charges are based upon direct and indirect environmental and regulatory compliance costs, expenses, capital investments, and operational consideration incurred or expected to be incurred at operations across the various affiliate companies, including costs and expenses associated with operating collection, transfer, landfill, material recovery, composting, waste-to-energy, landfill gas, and other waste management operations in a safe, compliant, and environmentally responsible manner. These charges are intended to allow us to maintain consistent service levels and financial stability even as the cost of environmental and regulatory compliance may fluctuate. The amount, calculation, and application of these charges may vary by service location, service type, affiliate, contract terms, invoicing practices, type of waste being handled, facility type, operating conditions, or other factors, including the particular environmental and regulatory costs associated with each location or affiliate.

‍Administrative or Invoice Fees

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Administrative or Invoice Fees relate to costs associated with account administration, generating and delivering invoices, processing payments, maintaining billing systems, and other transactions, payments, or account-related activities. These charges are not directly related to the costs of administering any specific customer account, and instead may be based upon direct and indirect costs, expenses, and operational considerations incurred or expected to be incurred by Waste Connections affiliates on a local, regional, company-wide, or other basis.

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Container Fees

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Container fees are charges associated with providing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, exchanging, delivering, removing, cleaning, or refurbishing containers used for the collection and on-site storage of solid waste, recyclable materials, or other materials. Where applicable, a Container Fee may include the right to switch out a container once per year, for any reason, for one of the same size. If you request additional exchanges or services, a separate exchange, delivery, removal, repair, replacement, or other applicable fee may be charged.

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Other Information on Charges and Fees

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Each of these different charges and fees might be shown as separate line items on your invoice(s), combined with other charges or surcharges, or included in a service charge, depending on the type of waste being handled, service location, service type, affiliate, and contract terms, as well as the invoicing practices in place for the Waste Connections affiliate providing your service.

None of the charges, surcharges, or fees described above are taxes imposed by or submitted to a governmental agency. These are charges assessed by the affiliate company and used to recover costs and expenses incurred on a local, regional, company-wide, or other basis. The charges and fees collected may be designed to allow Waste Connections affiliates to achieve consistent service levels and financial stability.

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These charges, surcharges, or fees, and any adjustments to them, may not be directly associated with increased costs of servicing your specific account. Rather, the charges and any adjustments may be based upon broader costs, expenses, capital investments, market conditions, operating conditions, regulatory requirements, and other considerations, on local, regional, company-wide, or other basis.

All charges and fees may vary by service location, service type, affiliate, contract terms and operating conditions. The costs of providing waste services vary significantly by region. Fuel costs, labor costs, disposal costs, transportation costs, environmental compliance costs, and other costs may vary by location and over time.

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The information on this page may change from time to time, subject to applicable law and applicable contract terms. Changes in charges, surcharges, or fees will be reflected on your invoice. Payment of the invoiced amounts establishes your knowing and voluntary consent to any such charge, surcharge, or fee.  

Please contact the Waste Connections affiliate providing your service with any questions about the charges, surcharges, fees, or other amounts that appear on your invoice.

Binding Arbitration and Class Action Waiver

Any disputes, controversies, or claims arising out of or relating to rate adjustments, fees, charges, or surcharges shall be resolved by mandatory binding arbitration before a single arbitrator administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules (collectively “Rules”), except as modified by this Agreement. Judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. This agreement to arbitrate is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act.

Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else to the contrary, the following disputes, controversies, and claims are not subject to mandatory binding arbitration: (A) either party’s claims against the other in connection with bodily injury, property damage, hazardous waste, non-confirming waste, or what is sometimes referred to as “Excluded Waste”; (B) claims by any Waste Connections affiliate to collect past due charges, late fees, interest, finance charges, collection costs, attorneys’ fees, liquidated damages, or other amounts; (C) pursuit by any Waste Connections affiliate of any claims or relief relating to responsibility for equipment or the early termination of a contract as provided in any agreement between the parties; (D) any claims relating to equipment, confidential information, intellectual property rights (including but not limited to trade secrets), systems, data, personnel, customers, facilities, or operations, or to protect the security, integrity, or safety of property, services, facilities, personnel, or operations of any Waste Connections affiliate; (E) any claims arising out of or relating to the abuse or misuse of online services, including unauthorized use of or access to online services of any Waste Connections affiliate; and, (F) any other disputes, controversies, or claims that do not arise out of or relate to rate adjustments, fees, charges, or surcharges.

THE PARTIES HERETO AGREE THAT ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CONTROVERSIES, OR CLAIMS OF ANY NATURE, WHETHER IN ARBITRATION OR OTHERWISE AND WHETHER RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR OTHERWISE, MUST BE BROUGHT IN A PARTY'S INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF, CLAIMANT, OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, COLLECTIVE OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. ACCORDINGLY, EACH PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHTS TO BRING OR JOIN ANY CLAIM OR ACTION AS A PLAINTIFF, CLAIMANT, OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, COLLECTIVE OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, RELATING TO ANY DISPUTE, CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM BETWEEN THE PARTIES.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the applicable arbitration rules or otherwise, any issue concerning the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or validity of agreements to arbitration or class action waivers shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator.