A rate increase from Republic Services doesn’t always arrive as a letter. Sometimes it’s a short message on your invoice, or just a higher number than last month. Either way, you don’t have to accept it as final. Here’s what to check before you pay the new rate, and how to push back.
Short answer: Check whether you have a written contract that limits increases, compare your new invoice to older ones line by line, and ask Republic in writing to reverse the increase and lock your rate. Two Republic customers in our published case studies cut their bills 70% and 78% without switching haulers.
How Republic Services tells you about a rate increase
Republic’s fee disclosures say you will receive advance notice of any rate increase, and that the notice “may be in the form of an invoice message and/or change on your invoice.” That’s why so many businesses miss it. If nobody reads the message area of each bill, an increase can run for months or years before anyone notices.
Why your bill went up more than the rate
Several Republic fees are calculated as a percentage of your invoice charges, so they grow every time your base rate does:
- Environmental recovery fee. Republic lists a current standard rate of 18% for hauling services.
- Fuel recovery fee. A percentage that changes monthly based on diesel prices.
- Administrative fee. Currently $5.95 per invoice, per Republic.
- Recycling processing charge. A monthly charge for customers with recycling service.
- Overage and contamination fees. These vary by area and container size.
Here’s a simplified example: a $500 base rate plus an 18% environmental recovery fee comes to $590. Raise the base rate 10% to $550, and the total becomes $649. That’s a $59 jump, before fuel and other fees.
Check whether your contract limits the increase
Republic says its operating subsidiaries set rate increases “in their sole discretion,” but that if your service is under a written contract, the increase must follow any limits in that contract. Pull your service agreement and look for:
- How much, and how often, your rate can go up
- Your term length and the deadline to give notice before it renews
- Any early termination charges
For a full breakdown of hauler contract traps, see how to lower your commercial trash bill.
What to do before you pay the new rate
1. Find the notice and the effective date
Check the message area of your recent invoices. Note when the new rate started and how much it changed.
2. Compare invoices line by line
Pull at least 12 months of invoices. Separate the base rate from each fee, and note which ones grew and when.
3. Make sure your service still fits
If your container is half empty at pickup, a smaller container or fewer pickups may cost less, increase or not.
4. Look for pickups you paid for but didn’t get
Missed pickups are easy to overlook. Your invoice can still charge for service that never happened.
5. Ask for a reversal and a rate lock, in writing
Ask Republic to reverse the increase and lock your rate for a set term. Get any agreement in writing, so it doesn’t quietly creep back.
What this looks like with real Republic Services bills
- Delorie Countertops & Doors accepted a promotional rate that was supposed to last 12 months. After 90 days, the rate jumped 38% and stayed there for three years. We cut their monthly spend 78%, secured a $1,425 refund for missed pickups and seven months of free service, and saved them $27,057 over a three-year term.
- Beach Way Resort was paying $597 a month for one 8-yard container. We cut it to $180 a month, a 70% reduction, with the same container and pickup schedule, and locked the rate for three years.
When to hand it off
If you’d rather not spend hours on hold, that’s what we do. We review your Republic invoices line by line, negotiate directly with Republic, and keep your service the same. We also review up to 36 months of past invoices to recover overcharges you’ve already paid. See how we lower waste bills.
You keep 60% of every dollar saved, there’s no upfront fee, and if we find no savings, you pay nothing.
FAQs
Can Republic Services raise my rate during my contract?
Republic says that if your service is under a written contract, any rate increase must follow the limits in that contract, if it has any. Without a written contract, Republic says its operating subsidiaries set increases at their discretion.
How will I know if Republic Services raised my rate?
Republic says you will get advance notice, but that notice can be a message on your invoice or simply a change on your invoice. Check the message area of each bill and compare the charges to the month before.
Why did my Republic bill go up more than the rate increase?
Fees like the environmental recovery fee and fuel recovery fee are calculated as a percentage of your invoice charges. When your base rate goes up, those percentage-based fees go up with it.
Can I lower my Republic Services bill without switching haulers?
Yes. We negotiate directly with Republic, so your container and pickup schedule stay the same. Two Republic customers in our published case studies cut their bills 70% and 78%.
How far back can overcharges be recovered?
CostFixers reviews up to 36 months of past invoices. If an increase or billing error has been running for a while, there may be credits to recover on top of a lower rate going forward.
Don’t just pay the new rate
Upload a recent Republic Services invoice and see how much you could save. We only get paid if you save.
CostFixers is an independent company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Republic Services.
