The cost of Dunedin's 40-litre rubbish bags has more than doubled since they were introduced in 2003, and the 65-litre variety is not far behind.
The Dunedin City Council annual plan hearings committee this week voted for changes to its solid-waste budget that would increase the cost of the smaller bags from $1.20 to $1.50, and the larger ones from $1.50 to $1.75, subject to ratification at a May 26 meeting.
That compares with an original cost of 70c and $1 respectively when the service began.
The increases were caused mainly by a user-pays policy for the Green Island landfill, council solid-waste team leader Iain Satterthwaite said yesterday.
And there were other pressures on waste management that meant there could be no guarantees prices would not rise in the future.
Mr Satterthwaite said the landfill had been strongly subsidised by ratepayers, but a user-pays policy meant that was no longer the case.
Because user-pays meant landfill charges had increased, contractors had to pay more to dump the rubbish bags there, and along with inflation, that had resulted in a higher cost for the bags.
The council's solid-waste budget was discussed in private at an infrastructure services committee meeting last month.
Approval was given at that time to increase the budget for the collection of kerbside rubbish bags and blue bins.
The annual plan hearings committee agenda this week said additional costs would be funded by an increase of $103,600 a year for kerbside recycling, and $146,400 a year for rubbish bags.
Mr Satterthwaite said the council recovered the cost of contracts by charging for the bags.
"It's a straightforward user-pays system."
While the Green Island landfill was "pretty much there" in terms of being fully user-pays, Ministry for the Environment guidelines, carbon emissions trading, and the need for a new landfill in the future could put pressure on prices, he said.
