Yamhill County Commissioners endorsed Monday a set of 10 percent fee hikes, one this July 1 and one next, for about 1,800 Western Oregon Waste customers living in unincorporated areas.

The increases, which customers will have the opportunity to offset through reduced cart size or pickup frequency, are designed to fund the launch of a curbside recycling service later this year. The service is expected to begin the first Monday in December, contingent on equipment and staff being in place by then.

The first hike will raise the cost of weekly 32-gallon cart pickup, now $15.01, to $16.51, and weekly 90-gallon service, now $25.02, to $27.52. A similar increase is slated to follow on July 1, 2010, start of the 2010-11 fiscal year.

WOW says most customers will be able to actually come out ahead by switching from, say, 90-gallon weekly service to 32-gallon weekly service or 90-gallon every-other-week service. The assumption that recycling will reduce waste volume about 50 percent makes that feasible, the company says.

A residential customer paying $25.02 a month to have a 90-gallon container emptied weekly could actually lower his bill to $17.89 by going to every-other-week service, and realize similar savings by settling for a 32-gallon container.

Commissioner Kathy George made the motion to adopt the plan and Commissioner Leslie Lewis offered a second. The ensuing vote was 2-0, with Commissioner Mary Stern recusing herself from all involvement because her husband, Matt, drafted the plan in his capacity as head of WOW's recycling operation.

The rate increases affect only the 1,800 customers living in what WOW is calling its suburban zone - rural residents who are clustered relatively close together along major thoroughfares. They will be notified by mail.

Rates for rural customers farther out will remain unchanged.

By coincidence, WOW's request coincides with one from Newberg Garbage & Recycling for a 3.74 percent increase in its home container pickup rates and 5.95 percent increase in its transfer station dropoff rates.

Pointing to provisions in the company's franchise agreement stipulating that rate hikes must be supported by evidence documenting increased costs on the part of the provider, the commissioners unanimously rejected the pickup hike and approved a reduced dropoff hike of 5.2 percent, effective July 1.

The 3-0 vote followed occasionally tense debate with company officials over the justification. Company officials said they are facing increased disposal costs at Riverbend Landfill, but were not able to offer any supporting documentation.