The rising cost of gasoline is about to have an impact on trash bills in Rincon.

Rincon City Council is expected to raise garbage collection fees by 35 cents a month to make up for the fuel expenses at their July 14 meeting.

“When we started the contract and started the negotiations in late December, diesel was $3.18 a gallon,” City Manager Donald Toms said.

As of June 27, diesel was nearly $4.75 a gallon, a 49 percent increase.

“At the time, it was hard to predict the price of diesel would go up so dramatically,” Toms said.

Said Council member Reese Browher: “Diesel’s gone through the roof.”

In the city’s negotiations with new sanitation service provider Waste Management, Rincon budgeted a 20 percent to 30 percent increase in fuel costs.

“That has not happened,” Toms said.

Waste Management also has been collecting yard waste twice a month at no charge.

“That’s additional fuel for the truck that wasn’t collected at the same rate,” Toms said.

Increasing the rate by 35 cents could provide the city as much as $4,700 to cover fuel costs.

The proposed rate increase would put the first cart for a residence at $10.85 and the second cart at $8.35.