No public turnout, but the hearing went on. Tuesday marked the first day of public hearings on proposed rate hikes for the Guam Solid Waste Authority — but not a single member of the public showed up. 

Only GSWA officials, Public Utilities Commission members, and the media were on hand as the PUC’s chief administrative law judge Fred Horecky pressed GSWA general manager Irv Slike with questions.

One big question — if trash collection on Guam were mandatory for every household, could that lower monthly fees? Slike said yes — that universal service could drop the residential rate from the proposed $35 a month to around $22.50 if all 20,000 non-subscribing households joined.

But there’s a catch — making trash service mandatory needs more money upfront. Slike said GSWA planned to use $4 million in federal Covid recovery funds to buy carts for new customers. But when the governor vetoed the universal trash collection bill last year, that money was spent elsewhere to meet funding deadlines.

So now, GSWA says either customers help cover that cost with higher fees — or lawmakers find the funds another way.

For now, the PUC holds the final decision on any rate hikes — with a ruling expected by August.