Free trash collection on Kaua'i may be coming to an end, the Garden Island newspaper reported.

The Solid Waste Division has proposed to the Kaua'i County Council a new assessment surcharge. In other words, Kaua'i homeowners may be tagged with a new trash collection fee.

The surcharge, if approved, would come into effect in July 2012. It would be added to the Real Property billing division, saving on administration and start-up costs.

Solid Waste proposed a baseline collection service of $6 per month for each serviceable residential unit. A curbside collection service charge of $6 would be added, bringing the total fee to $12. But it could go higher depending on the number of trash bins per household.

Taxpayers with a low-income Real Property exemption would be eligible for a 50 percent reduction in the surcharge.