With a City Council vote anticipated this June, the City has proposed trimming its current $258 million budget deficit with a $53 per month trash collection fee.

If enacted, later this year, residents with a standard 95-gallon black bin would pay $53 per month. Those with smaller, 35-gallon trash bins would be charged less, $42 per month, a rate that would increase to $52 by 2027. City trash collection service has been free to San Diegans for over a century. The new fees would reportedly fund additional workers and trucks, eliminate container replacement fees, and expand services.

Providing trash collection to approximately 233,000 residents, the City pays for trash collection through its General Fund. The City is also considering subsidizing some property owners who meet certain criteria.

San Diego’s proposed trash collection fee would be modest compared with some other large state cities such as Sacramento, which charges $57.79 monthly, and Oakland and San Jose, which charge $160.27 and $160.35 monthly, respectively.

In 2022, voters approved Measure B allowing the City to once again charge for historically free trash pickup begun in 1919 with the passage of the People’s Ordinance, which prevented the City from charging single-family households for trash pickup.

Residents in cities elsewhere in San Diego County pay considerably less for their monthly trash collection. Residents in La Mesa pay  $27.33. Chula Vista and Carlsbad residents pay $36.80. All three cities utilize outside sanitation companies for trash collection, while San Diego uses City employees and equipment.

PUBLIC INPUT

San Diego Community Newspaper Group solicited the views of residents in La Jolla, Pacific and Mission beaches on social media and email. The newspaper asked them whether they approved of the proposed $53 monthly City trash collection fee to help defray the $258 million City budget deficit. Here’s what they said:

Greg Knight of Mission Beach opposes the trash collection proposal. “I can’t stand that the City pushed this tax through the ballot,” he said asking, “How can you possibly put a price on every house, especially when our trash creation and use is very different house-to-house? Also, how can we pay the same as the vacation rentals, which fill the trash every couple of days when someone moves in or out? It sure feels that this is much more of a City money grab than an attempt at a trash solution.”

La Jolla Realtor John Shannon had a different take. “Although no one is in favor of more fees, a fee for refuse pickup is probably warranted and long overdue,” he said. “Other cities charge such fees. Our proposed San Diego fee per residence ($53/month) is somewhere between that of San Francisco ($121/month) and La Mesa ($27.33/month).

“I expect the (trash) costs to go way up. Why? Because this has just become a revenue source for a City, which is looking for more revenue. Additionally, charges will be added for having more than one blue or black can. Why stop there? One can expect that an ADU or separate house number will be deemed ‘another residence,’ resulting in duplicate fees. Please don’t gouge us on refuse pickup where streamlining City operations could result in a larger return and a greater quality of life.”

Michelle Mink of Pacific Beach said, “We’ll have to trust officials to do the right thing.” She added: “Voters approved Measure B in 2022, which allowed the City to charge for trash service. The only thing at issue is the amount that was open-ended in the measure. The City spends $82 million now so fees need to cover that plus the proposed changes to service.”

“The proposed fee is too high,” said Mike Frattali of University City. “The City is padding trash collection services to justify hiring 130 new employees. There is nothing wrong with the current service level. Under Prop 218, San Diegans will have an opportunity to stop the fee. The City will mail a protest form in April/May to residents who will have to pay the new fee. If 50% plus one return the protest, the fee will be rejected.”

Marilyn Busak of La Jolla Heights feels the proposed trash-collection hike is unfair. “I’m an 87-year-old lady who lives alone,” she noted. “I certainly don’t make enough trash to warrant this high a charge Why should I pay the same as families of three or more? As a property owner taxes are paid for essentials, which should include trash pickup. Elected officials work for us not for themselves. They should be held accountable to us for all expenditures and live within the money collected as taxes. I have to, so should they.”

Pacific Beach photographer John Cocozza concurred with Busak’s view. “The City is running deficits in the hundreds of millions because they are failing at managing spending,” he said. “San Diego is already one of the most expensive places to live or purchase a home in the nation. Instead of punishing families with trash fees or higher meter rates, how about the elected leaders take a queue from DOGE and cut spending?”

Janie Emerson of La Jolla Shores, a longtime community planner, does not support the City’s proposal. “It is uneven and unfair to single-family homeowners,” she said. “It has nothing to do with service to the community. We don’t want ‘expanded services.’ We just want our one-to-two small trash cans picked up weekly or every other week. Why should we, on a fixed income with little trash, pay the same as others with multiple large cans?”

Nancy Person of Pacific Beach “conditionally” approves of the potential revenue-generating measure. “If the cost of $54 monthly would be simply per household, I would agree it’s a relatively affordable way to raise City funds,” she said. “However, charging additional money for extra black or blue bins seems excessive. I would not be in favor of any more than $54 per address. I also would expect the City to provide replacement bins when necessary at no cost above the $54 monthly (charge).”

Pacific Beach community planner Scott Chipman took a more dollar-and-cents approach to assess the proposed new trash fee. “San Diego has been paying for trash collection from the general fund,” he said. “The City receives about 18% of the property tax collected. Property values reached a record $768 billion in 2024, a nearly 6% increase from 2023. Property values have been increasing faster than general inflation especially when you remove the inflation on property values from the equation. The City budget deficit is being caused by City spending increases not because of lower revenue. In the last five years, the City budget has increased by nearly 35%. Reign in spending – don’t increase taxes and fees.”

“The gold-plated trash fee proposal flies in the face of council members’ expressed concern for the already high cost of living,” said Carolyn Chase of PB, an environmentalist and former City planning commissioner. “It is particularly offensive to hear it defended as good for the environment. Adding another pick-up for recycling is not better for the environment. It ‘doubles’ mileage traveled significantly; this is will increase pollutants, noise, and fuel expenses without necessarily improving recycling. It would be more efficient to just give folks who need another pick-up, another bin.

“Adding additional unnecessary services is an insult to everyone struggling with the already high cost of living. We get water increases, electricity increases, trash increases, parking increases, and ‘two’ proposed sales tax increases (please notice, turned down). What about inflation? And there is a long list of other fees they are planning to raise: on recreation and for library rooms and events.”

“I am not in favor of charging San Diego residents for trash collection, for the financial mistakes City Hall politicians created,” argued Marcella Teran, Neighborhood Watch coordinator for PB. “I am also concerned about the sliding fee for additional trash cans. Some people will not want to pay for an additional trash can, and either dump their trash in other cans or dump their trash in dumpsters not belonging to them.

“San Diego homeowners are increasingly being squeezed financially with high water and electricity rates, and the high cost of living. Our roads and City services are terrible. Reporting on GetItDone app for most problems takes several months to address. Will we see the benefit in our lifetime?”

TRASH FEE

The Environmental Services Department is expected to present a proposed $53 monthly fee for residential trash collection for single-family households to the City Council in March, with a vote on that measure in June.

The process for considering a trash-collection hike:

• The Environment Committee will review the trash collection plan.
• Homeowners will receive notices 45 days before the fees go into effect.
• Homeowners can protest the fees before the final vote in June.
• If a majority of eligible residents protest, the City Council may not be able to impose the fees.
• If approved, monthly bills could start rolling out in July.

  If enacted, the new City trash collection fees will:

• Fund additional workers and trucks.
• Eliminate container replacement fees.
• Expand trash services.
• Provide weekly, instead of bi-weekly, recycling pickup service.
• Increase bulky item collection.

  Possible City trash collection discounts:

• The City is considering variable pricing based on service levels.
• The City is considering low-income or other discount programs.
• Some residents are considering obtaining bids from private contractors.