How to check your receipt for the fee, and the steps to switch your autopay to a bank account, are in the box at the bottom of this story.
Casella Waste Systems customers who pay their trash bill with a credit or debit card now pay a fee on each payment: 3%, with a minimum of $1.50, according to Casella’s FAQ on the fee. KUBRA, the company that runs Casella’s online payment portal, charges the fee.
Casella rolled the fee out between July and September. On a call with investors Tuesday, CEO Ned Coletta said the fee began producing savings for the Rutland company in October. He said Casella expects the fee to save more than $5 million a year in its first phase. Casella tells customers the fee covers part of what it pays to process card payments.
The $1.50 minimum means smaller payments are hit hardest. The minimum applies to any payment of $50 or less:
On a $25 payment, the $1.50 fee is 6%.
On a $40 monthly payment, it is nearly 4%, or $18 a year.
On a $100 payment, the fee is $3.
Customers checking Casella’s website could get two different answers. Casella’s bill-pay page says there is no fee for paying online or by phone. Lower on the same page, it links to the FAQ that describes the card fee.
What Casella says about the fee
It applies to debit cards as well as credit cards.
It applies to one-time payments and to autopay.
It does not appear on your Casella bill or in your account history. It appears only on the payment receipt KUBRA gives you after the payment goes through.
It is generally not refundable, except where the law requires a refund or there was a billing error.
Casella says its rates for trash service are not changing because of the fee.
On debit cards, the FAQ adds that those payments may be subject to different rules depending on the card network and the law. It doesn’t say which rules or where.
Who pays it
Whether the fee reaches you depends on whom you pay. Vermonters who pay Casella directly are sent to the KUBRA portal. Casella says the fee won’t be charged where the law prohibits it or where a contract excludes it. It names Connecticut and Maine as exempt and does not list Vermont.
If you pay your town for trash pickup instead of paying Casella, you won’t get a KUBRA receipt. Your town’s own payment rules apply.
The other fees on a Casella bill
The card fee is separate from the fees Casella lists on its fee information page. Casella says customers may be charged those fees depending on their service or contract. Two are tied to Vermont:
Energy & Environmental Fee. The energy part changes every month with diesel prices. Casella uses the federal government’s New England average for Vermont customers. The environmental part is fixed; Casella raised it in August 2025.
Sustainability/Commodity Adjustment. This fee applies only to residential customers served by Casella’s Vermont hauling operations. It also changes monthly. Casella says the amount depends on public policy, commodity markets, and transportation and processing costs.
How to Check Your Own Casella Payments
Compass gives you the information. Whether paying by card is worth the fee is your call.
If you pay Casella through its online portal: Check the payment receipt from KUBRA after you pay. That is the only place the fee appears. You can sign in to see your payments at mycasella.idoxs.net.
To switch to paying from your bank account, which carries no fee, Casella’s FAQ gives these steps:
Sign in at mycasella.idoxs.net.
Select Wallet in the upper right corner, then Add, then Bank Account.
Enter your bank information and select Save.
If you use autopay, select AutoPay, then Edit.
Choose your bank account from the Pay drop-down menu and select Save.
Adding the bank account alone doesn’t change your autopay. You have to do step 5, or your card will keep being charged.
If you pay your town for trash pickup: Check the town’s payment terms or call the town office.
Questions about your account: Casella customer service, 800-227-3552.