For one City-issued receptacle, Monroe’s monthly residential refuse service plus rental is $30 at the standard rate, $20 at the qualifying senior rate, or $15 at the qualifying senior-plus-program rate. Twelve months at those amounts totals $360, $240 or $180.
The figures use the ordinance effective May 1, 2026. They do not include the rest of a utility bill or establish eligibility for a discount or an additional receptacle.
Add rental to each service rate
Ordinance 12,285 sets three residential service rates and adds $2 rental per City-issued receptacle each month. Rental applies in addition to the selected service row:
| Residential category | Monthly service | Monthly rental | Combined per receptacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $28 | $2 | $30 |
| Qualifying head of household age 65 or older | $18 | $2 | $20 |
| Qualifying head of household age 65 or older with verified SSI, Medicaid or SNAP participation | $13 | $2 | $15 |
The City’s live Utility Billing page provides the current senior-discount and account-contact route. A link, completed form, age, or benefit document by itself is not a City approval.
One- and two-receptacle calculations
| Category | One receptacle per month | One receptacle per year | Two receptacles per month | Two receptacles per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $30 | $360 | $60 | $720 |
| Qualifying senior | $20 | $240 | $40 | $480 |
| Qualifying senior with listed program evidence | $15 | $180 | $30 | $360 |
Annual method: (monthly service rate + $2 rental) × receptacle count × 12.
For example, two standard receptacles produce ($28 + $2) × 2 × 12 = $720. Each annual column assumes the same approved category and receptacle count for twelve full months. It is not a May-through-December 2026 total. Ask the City whether an additional receptacle is available for the account.
Category differences per receptacle
| Compared rows | Monthly difference | Twelve-month difference |
|---|---|---|
| Standard minus qualifying senior | $10 | $120 |
| Standard minus qualifying senior with listed program evidence | $15 | $180 |
| Qualifying senior minus qualifying senior with listed program evidence | $5 | $60 |
The $2 rental is the same in each category, so it cancels when comparing equal receptacle counts. These differences are not promised savings: approval timing, count changes or a partial year can change the actual comparison.
When a reduced rate starts—and ends
The ordinance ties the age requirement to the head of household. The lower $13 service row also requires verified SSI, Medicaid or SNAP participation. The City’s approved application determines eligibility; the calculation above does not.
Reduced billing begins with the next full billing cycle after approval, without retroactive credit. Approval lasts two years unless household status changes. Renewal must arrive before eligibility expires to avoid reversion to the regular rate. Keep:
- the current application version;
- age evidence requested by the City;
- SSI, Medicaid, or SNAP verification when requesting the $13 category;
- the City’s approval and effective billing period; and
- the expiry date, timely renewal record and any status-change instruction.
Do not submit sensitive benefit or identity records anywhere except the City’s authorized route. This article does not collect or review them.
What the examples exclude
The tables do not include water, sewer, taxes, deposits, penalties, past balances, partial periods, replacement containers, special service, commercial or roll-off rates, or any unpublished account item. They also do not apply in West Monroe or unincorporated Ouachita Parish.
For an actual statement, match the address, service jurisdiction, billing period, category, receptacle count, and each billed line with the current City record. Ask Utility Billing which approval supports the category and when it became effective.
Rates do not make every pile eligible for collection. See the separate Monroe yard-waste preparation and collection guide for material and quantity boundaries.
Source and methodology
Local Service Ledger rechecked the adopted ordinance and live City billing route on September 13, 2026. We added the separate rental to each service rate, reproduced all six monthly/annual scenarios and checked the equal-count differences. The original August 11 research remains in the record with the correction appended. No account, application, approval or bill was reviewed.