If you live on a city street in San Diego, you might have to kiss your free trash pick-up goodbye.

In 1919, a law mandated that the city of San Diego provide trash removal services to homes within the city for free. The law, or People’s Ordinance, has since been amended to apply to single-family homes on city streets.

Now the San Diego County Taxpayers Association is challenging the ordinance, calling the free trash service a measure of inequality. The board of directors for the group recently voted to recommend the amendment or removal of the law.

Here’s how a repeal could affect you if you live in a single-family home: You might need to contract with a waste collection firm to have your trash collected. Or, you might need to start paying the city a fee to collect your trash.

Getting rid of the ordinance is a long ways off, though. Repealing it would require a vote of the people. On this San Diego Explained, Scott Lewis and NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia lay out what this recent move by the Taxpayers Association could mean for the city of San Diego and the 2016 ballot.

Camille Lozano

Camille is an intern at Voice of San Diego. You can reach her at camille.lozano@voiceofsandiego.org.

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