County Environmental Charge (CEC)

The County Environmental Charge (CEC) is a hauler-collected service charge assessed on the costs of managing mixed municipal solid waste or “MSW” (also referred to as trash, garbage, refuse, etc.) generated in Ramsey County. The CEC is calculated as a percentage of the cost of trash service at the following rates: 28% for residential customers, 53% for non-residential customers. CEC applies to the cost of trash collection, transportation, and disposal service, as well as fuel surcharges, and other administrative fees. The CEC does not apply to the cost of managing construction and demolition waste, recyclables, medical and infectious waste, or food scraps and other organic materials collected for composting--when these materials are collected separately from trash. The CEC also does not apply to other taxes or government fees. The “County Environmental Charge” must appear as a separate line item on customer bills for MSW service.

CEC Guidelines (PDF)

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Here is an example of a residential customer’s trash bill to show how the CEC is applied:
Basic 90-gallon trash service for 3 months $50.00 CEC applies to the cost of trash service
Fuel surcharge $4.50 CEC applies to the fuel surcharge
Cost of trash service $54.50 Total amount subject to the CEC
County Environmental Charge $15.26 28% of $54.50
9.75% State Solid Waste Management Tax $5.32 9.75% of $54.50
Total trash bill $75.08  

In this example, the customer pays $75.08. The CEC due to Ramsey County is $15.26. MSW haulers must submit CEC Monthly Remittance Reports to Ramsey County each month, along with remittance of the charges collected.
The CEC funds the waste reduction and management programs, including Ramsey County’s household hazardous waste, yard waste and food scraps collection programs, as well as Fix-it Clinics and BizRecycling. More information on the CEC is available in the CEC Guidelines (PDF).