The city of Merriam’s move to a citywide, single trash hauler is almost complete.

Starting Nov. 2, all residential trash service will be conducted by GFL Environment LLC, a Canada-based trash hauler that the city has a five-year contract with for citywide services.

Currently, the city and GFL are coordinating bin drop offs to residents on their final pickup day with their existing service provider.

This comes more than two years after the city first discussed moving from a trash system in which residents contracted with one of several individual trash haulers to a single trash hauler for all households.

Merriam appears to be the first city in the state to make this switch under the Organized Collection Service Act, a 2011 piece of legislation that outlines standards for transitions in solid waste and recyclable collections in a city.

The Merriam City Council approved the move in April 2025 and spent the past 18 months going over contracts and giving residents time to end contracts with existing providers.

Here’s a look at what to expect with GFL for residents who didn’t already make the move ahead of time.

Residents will pay for trash through property taxes

Starting in 2027, Merriam residents will pay for GFL Environmental’s trash services through their property tax bill.

For the months of November and December, residents will pay $44.52 total. For the entire calendar year, 2027 trash services will cost all residents $22.87 a month, or $274.44 for the year, according to the city’s website.

Still, that cost is only for the first year of the five-year contract, which runs through Dec. 31, 2030.

Every year after 2027, the cost of trash services will go up by roughly $8 for residents.

The cost for trash in subsequent years through the end of the contract is as follows:

• In 2028, $282.06
• In 2029, $289.86
• In 2030, $297.90

The city council in July opted for annual increases over a flat rate for the full length of the contract. That decision was in an effort to avoid the potential for “sticker shock” when the contract is up for 2031 and the city considers renewing the contract for, likely, a higher price.

Bin distribution is currently underway

Since Oct. 12, GFL Environment has started delivering bins to residents.

Other service providers are collecting bins from their respective customers throughout Merriam on the last collection day ahead of Nov. 1, according to the city’s website.

Each Merriam residence is getting a 95-gallon trash bin and a 95-gallon recycling bin this fall, according to the city’s website.

Still, residents who are interested in a smaller size bin for either trash or recycling can contact GFL’s customer service starting on Jan. 4, 2027. Customer care can be reached via phone at (816) 380-5595 or via email at [email protected].

Pickup days are scheduled for Monday to Wednesday

Currently, Merriam residents are scheduled to have their trash picked up on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Due to “a discrepancy in the trash collection day information for residents between Johnson Drive and 55th Street,” according to the city’s website. Efforts to address that issue are underway.

Still, here’s a look at trash pickup dates for residents, as outlined on the city’s website:

• Monday for residents north of Johnson Drive to city limits at 47th Street
• Tuesday for residents between Johnson Drive and Shawnee Mission Parkway
• Wednesday for residents south of Shawnee Mission Parkway to city limits at 75th Street