Lansford Borough Council on Wednesday reversed on changes to the garbage ordinance that removed all exemptions — having everyone pay a trash collection fee.

Residents reeling from the increases in the latest garbage contract with Tamaqua Transfer, now Casella Waste, flooded the borough with requests for exonerations from the quarterly fee, which nearly doubled from $60 to $115.

The borough received numerous reasons why it should grant exemptions, including residents saying they didn’t put out trash, shared garbage collection with a neighbor or took their garbage to work.

Council agreed to amend the ordinance barring exemptions, instructed their solicitor to make changes, and advertised the amended ordinance for adoption.

Then, other residents complained that they shouldn’t have to pay a garbage fee for a vacant property they own, citing instances where they bought the other side of a double home for privacy or storage.

Councilman Jack Soberick pointed out that if the borough moved forward making everyone pay the fee that it should lower the garbage fee to take into account the additional people paying.

“If we’re going to have 1,000 people paying instead of 500, then we should be reducing the garbage fee,” he said.

Council President Bruce Markovich said that the borough is billed for 1,734 residential pickups and 23 business pickups, and changing the ordinance would bring that up to about 1,800 pickups.

Markovich estimated the additional pickups would bring in about $28,000 more a year, and added that they should be able reduce everyone’s fee.

Applying the additional revenue could have lowered residents’ trash fee about $4 a quarter, or $16 a year.

Council, however, voted down the change 5-2 with council members Joe Butrie and Gwyneth Collevechio the only yes votes.

The borough is locked into a five-year, $3.67 million contract with Casella Waste for trash collection.

Summit Hill Borough Council this week approved asking the state Department of Community and Economic Development to perform a study and determine the feasibility of joint trash collection services with Lansford.

Summit Hill approved a four-year, $2.4 million contract with Casella for trash collection two months ago. The annual cost is more than $250,000 more than what the borough had been paying previously.

Representatives from both boroughs met recently to discuss ways they could work together and save money. Forming a garbage authority and other regionalization, such as police, was discussed.