To the editor:

I moved to Lawrence a little over a month ago and just received my first utility bill (water/sewer/trash). I’m shocked. For a one-bedroom/one-bathroom apartment occupied by one person, my bill is $50.37. This is triple what my Overland Park apartment cost for the same basic services. I think what appalls me the most is the $14.75 trash fee. I throw away one medium-sized bag of trash every 10 days because I recycle. That means it costs me approximately $5 per bag of trash.

Where’s the incentive to recycle, Lawrence? Why is one person living in an apartment paying almost $15 a month for trash pickup? The waste management company comes to the small apartment complex once a week, empties one Dumpster and then leaves. It is not having to go door-to-door to pick up trash. It is not having to make 60 stops for the 60 different apartments. The trash fee is too high for the service that is provided. There needs to be a sliding scale or a reconsideration of the base fee.