Hauling trash in Princeton this year will cost significantly more than it did last year, and for less trash.

An addition of $22.04 per ton will be collected by Central Jersey Waste Recycling Inc., which has been picking up Princeton trash in the past. Princeton Council unanimously approved the new contract at its meeting on January 12.

When Central Jersey made it known that they did not want to extend their contract unless they could get a higher price for services during the next two years, the town put the contract out to bid. One other company made an offer, and Central Jersey’s was lower. The company will be paid $73.45 a ton for this year and $74.49 for next year. The fee is based on an estimate of producing 420 tons per year.

At a press conference before the Council meeting, Mayor Liz Lempert said that calculations done with trash haulers during the consolidation process were lower than expected.

“Part of why the bid may have been so low initially was that it was a bit of a guess as to how much trash we’d be generating,” she said. “I think it was just a miscalculation.” She added, “It is a lot more than we were paying previously, but is still within the amount that was budgeted. We need someone to pick up the trash.”