The City of San Diego's Environmental Services Department has completed a year-long outreach and a detailed cost-of-service study, presenting a new fee proposal to the City Council. According to a report by the City of San Diego, the proposed fees aim to recover the costs of providing these services, which currently dent the City's General Fund.
Presently, more than 200,000 San Diego residential properties benefit from the City's waste-collection services, making it a unique case in California and the county. In contrast, residents in apartments and those with homeowner associations are already paying for these services through private companies. Aiming at a more equitable financial distribution, the proposed fees would allow for the reallocation of General Fund resources to other community projects. Under the proposed structure detailed by Kirby Brady, Interim Director of Environmental Services, single-family homes could choose from three-size bins, ranging in monthly costs from $36.72 to $47.59.
Before the proposed trash fee can take effect, the City Council must vote to initiate the necessary proceedings. Set for a hearing date in early June, with a second follow-up later that month, the City Council will contemplate the fees and the collection method. However, the April 14 meeting will not involve a vote on the trash fee itself but rather to set the proceedings in motion.
By July 1, 2027, citizens are expected to receive new bulky item pickup and increased recycling collection services with a corresponding fee increase. Additional benefits outlined in the proposal include a new customer database and bin tracking system designed to improve service efficiency and customer service issues that have been long neglected, with bins averaging 20 years of age.
