SOUTH HADLEY — Residents who visit the transfer station and compost area will pay more — in some cases more than double — for recycling old electronics, mattresses, ridged plastics and other items.

The increases are being implemented to help offset the costs for breaking down and hauling the material to different facilities to recycle, Department of Public Works Director John Broderick said during an Aug. 6 Select Board meeting. This is the first time the fees have increased since 2014.

“The market for them has changed and anytime you gotta haul and handle something a bunch of different times, you’re getting different hauling or handling charges,” Broderick said, adding that electronics that once cost $5-$10 to dispose of now cost the DPW between $20 and $40 to recycle.

The Select Board approved the increases with the exception of yard waste, which is currently free. Board members expressed discomfort setting a flat fee to dispose of yard waste without more data, as the range of material dropped off at the area varies. Some residents bring a tote full of weeds, and others haul a pickup truck full of grass clippings.

“I completely understand our resources and that it can be tricky, but I guess that’s why I’m struggling with charging someone for bringing their weeds or branches,” said Select Board Member Nicole Casolari, referring to charging a fee for small amounts of yard waste.

As listed on the recycling fee increase sheet given to the Select Board, most of the fee hikes are due to vendors increasing their disposal costs. For instance, South Hadley contracts mattress disposal through Casella, which now charges $100 to dispose of soiled mattresses compared to the town’s old fee of $25. Under the new fee, the town will now charge $100 to take soiled mattresses, but keep the fee at $25 for recyclable mattresses.

“If a mattress or box spring is soiled, it has to be disposed of properly, not recycled. It has come through the vendor that the mattress has to be literally left outside and have mold on it or just be absolutely trashed for lack of better words, (but) these companies can recycle it, they’ll do it for much less money,” Broderick said.

The gate attendant at the recycling center will decipher between a disposable and recyclable mattress, as well as decide the cost of disposal for asphalt, brick, concrete and stones based on volume.

Previously, recycling thick plastics was a free service, but it will now cost $5 a trip. Broderick notes that more people have begun to take their old trash cans and recycling bins to the center as the town prepares to switch to an automated trash system with carts. Disposal fees for these plastics have increased by $6 a ton, and he wants the DPW to be able to absorb the cost.

“(The bins) just take up volume, and we have to haul it down to Springfield, and people have been recycling those more and more each year,” Broderick said.

Compost and yard waste rates will possibly increase at a later date, but the Select Board and Broderick want to chose a fair price for residents before voting. Yet with the amount of space and time it takes to run the service, Broderick hopes to add a fee to help offset the high cost. The DPW needs to grind and haul the compost, organize it into piles and then let it sit for months while it decomposes before residents can purchase the product.

“Anyone that’s been back there can appreciate the amount of volume that you have and what you have to process to make it compost,” Select Board member Jeff Cyr said. “And you’re doing it with your equipment, you’re feeding the compost machine. So again, you’re taking time away from the everyday jobs of the DPW to process that as well.”

Other notable raises in fees include:

■Car and truck tires without the rim will now cost $10 to recycle and $20 with the rim. That’s up from $4 and $9, respectively.

■Televisions between 19 and 27 inches will cost $30 to dispose, up from $10. Televisions greater than 27 inches now cost $40, up from $20.

■Computer monitor disposal has doubled in price to $20.

■Household batteries cost $2 a visit to recycle, while car batteries are jumping from $1 to $5.

■Use motor oil increased to $2 per gallon, up from $1.

■ Disposal fees for refrigerators and freezers have doubled to $20.

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull> Sleeper sofas will cost $100 to dispose of, up from $25, though couches, stuffed chairs and recliners will remain at $20.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.