Trash pickup is one of the last remaining operations, with the exception of mail carriers, who still provide service door-to-door, says Jim Gebicki, community and municipal affairs officer at Waste Management, a local hauler.

That adds to the pressure of being a service provider and to the scrutiny from residents, especially when costs jump like they will under the new trash hauling contract between Waste Management and North Huntingdon. Beginning January 2008, the increase amounts to 70 and 77 percent in years one and two of the contract.

However, people involved in the bid process said the figures may not loom as large as it first appears when compared to what neighboring communities are paying and a look at the criteria on which the amount is calculated.

Township residents have benefited for five years under the current contract with County Hauling Corp., often referred to as Tri-County, said board of commissioners President Richard Gray. The 2002 contract was the company's entry into the township and the foot-in-the-door approach might have been the reasoning for such a low bid at that time.

It won the bid in 2003 over Waste Management, locally based in North Huntingdon. County's relationship with the township was rocky throughout the years, Gray said. At times, the board of commissioners looked into legally negating the agreement because of what was considered a poor level of service. But because the township was paying far less than its neighbors, he said, it was in the commissioners' best interest to honor the contract.

The township will finish its five-year contract this year at $28.14 a quarter. During the same time, North Irwin was paying $40.56 and Irwin residents were charged $32.25. Neither of the boroughs has to gather recyclables because they fall below state Act 101 standards that exempt communities of 5,000 -- originally 10,000 -- residents or less.

The cost of recycling typically can add $6 a quarter to a contract, said Gebicki.

So beginning in January when North Huntingdon homeowners are being charged $47.76 a quarter, it will be equated to North Irwin and Irwin's 2008 charges of $42.18 and $35.25, respectively.

North Irwin had more than a 31 percent increase with its three-year contract this year. Irwin enters the last year of its residential contract with Waste Management in November but then will have two option years left.

North Huntingdon's residential hauling will be higher than others but with several new points to consider, both Gebicki and Gray said.

Costs are determined on many factors, said Gebicki, including prime elements such as residential density determined in square miles and accessibility. Local ordinances that determine if trucks can go in alleys or even if collection is allowed to be done on both sides of the street weigh on a bid.

Recyclables in North Huntingdon now will be collected weekly, instead of twice a month. Gray said this was added after "tremendous confusion" on the part of residents whether it was or wasn't a week to put out bins. Irwin has a voluntary, free drop-off paper recycling program that has proved popular, said Mary Benko, Irwin Borough manager.

There is no fuel surcharge written into the new township contract either -- a line item that added $3.60 a quarter in the past year. The lack of the adjustment might account for larger bids as was the case in North Irwin, which does not have an adjustable increase. Irwin, having learned from a previous contract, did not include a fuel adjustment this time, Benko said.

The pickup system for large items also will change in North Huntingdon. A dozen tags will be distributed per household for the yearly allotment. Others are available at additional cost. In the past, bulky trash, such as appliances and upholstered pieces, were only hauled the first pickup of the month, as it still will be in the neighboring boroughs.

Township residents can put out as much trash as necessary as there is no bag limit.

In all communities, senior citizens age 60 or older are offered lower rates. Benko said Irwin seniors get about a 25 percent discount.

Other methods of residential trash pickup have been used throughout the years in all three municipalities.

North Irwin began community hauling going back as far as 50 years ago with the Reynolds father-and-son team. Bernard Reynolds, borough councilman, used to help his father haul the trash within the public works department, said Carolyn Neel, North Irwin Borough secretary. Later, individual contracts with the local haulers, such as Plank, Oblock and McIntyre were collected by Neel going door to door.

North Huntingdon also subscribed to residents lining up their own haulers until about 20 some years ago.

Irwin is fairly new to major hauling contracts. Until 10 years ago, the borough had its own trucks and employees.

Kit Pettit, in-house legal counsel to County Hauling, said, his company didn't put in a bid to North Huntingdon this year. It was decided the township is too far from the company's Westmoreland Waste Sanitary Landfill in Belle Vernon to make a new contract profitable.