Customers of Island Disposal, Inc., may experience as much as a 77 percent increase in the cost of garbage service.

The company has filed a request with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission for rate increases that would amount to about an extra $5 a month for a typical customer.

A letter from the management of Island Disposal to customers states that the rate increase is “an effort to recover increased operation costs including processing of residential garbage, fuel, labor and equipment.” The last general increase was 2002.

An official from the company didn’t return phone calls for comment. Island Disposal is owned by Waste Management, Inc.

The proposed rate increases vary from a 26 percent increase for customers who use two 32-gallon cans to a 77 percent increase for customers with once-a-month, 32-gallon service.

The proposed increase for customers with a mini can is $5.34, from $12.32 to $17.66 per month. The hike for customers with one 32-gallon can is $5.53, from $15.50 to $21.03. The proposed increase for those with two 32-gallon cans is $5.94, from $22.37 to $28.31. The proposed rate inflation for those with every-other-week service is $5.32, from $12.03 to $17.35. The increase for once-a-month service is $4.99, from $6.48 to $11.47.

Island Disposal also proposed a $0.21 increase for each addition unit, which is a jump from $3.37 to $3.58.

The UTC may set rates that vary from the company’s request, depending on the outcome of an investigation. Customers may comment by attending the commission’s meeting in Olympia at 9:30 a.m. on March 13 or by using the “public comment” feature at the Web site, www.wutc.wa.gov.