On the eve of a much-dreaded city budget meeting, the San Diego City Council approved a new trash fee for single-family homes after charging nothing for more than 100 years.
If not for the city’s $350 million budget deficit and resulting cuts, the trash fee discussion may have ended differently. Without the additional revenue, even deeper cuts to city services and staff were guaranteed.
But the city isn’t alone in its pocketbook pressures. Residents, too, have expressed concerns about absorbing the new fee, which goes into effect on July 1 and will cost homeowners between $32 and $43 a month, depending on the size of their trash bin.
Now that it’s a done deal, we wanted to know: Is there any way around the fee?
Well, that depends on how big you’re dreaming, but I wouldn’t get too excited.
See you in court: Five homeowners are suing the city to block the fee. The lawsuit argues that the city is in violation of a state law that forbids municipalities from charging more for utilities than it costs the city to provide them. But the case is slated to be considered in late July, weeks after the fee will go into effect.
As long as a judge doesn’t nix the fee, owners of single-family homes and small apartment complexes with up to four units will be legally required to pay it, as per the city charter.
What about private haulers? Many cities across the county outsource their trash services to private haulers – often at a smaller cost than the fee San Diegans will soon pay. A city study comparing the private services offered in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Oceanside and Santee identified a variety of service offerings and fee amounts, ranging from $23 to $33 a month.
Apartment complexes in San Diego don’t qualify for city trash services so their owners already choose from a variety of city-approved private haulers.
But if you own a single-family home or small multi-family complex, you won’t have this option.
San Diego’s municipal code doesn’t just block residents from using private haulers for residential trash service – it blocks the city, too. Meaning, the city can’t hire a private hauler to collect your trash.
Although, the city is allowed to contract with private haulers for trash service at public facilities. In 2024, San Diego entered a five-year contract with Republic Services to pick up trash at some shoreline parks at a cost of $14.5 million.
What about taking my own trash to the dump? Nope. You can’t DIY yourself out of paying the fee.
is the fee per
“container bin?” if it is, then I just want one large container and “all” of my trash will go into it!! Is this do-able??
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Private companies haul 70% of the trash and the city has been undercharging them while Miramar will be maxxed out sooner. There should be a halt to this fee until it’s resolved by the court.
Stop the lies.
There was, and never has been, “free” trash collection in san diego. It was, and will continue, to paid on our property tax bills.
The new trash tax, is a TAX. It is not a fee. The city and its agents of propaganda, pretend otherwise. It is a full on tax.
The city paid somewhere between $2 MILLION dollars and $5 MILLION dollars, to an outside contractor. To promote the tax rate being charged by the city. The missing parts of the study: the contractor could not identify the actual current trash tax rate, the trash revenues, operating costs, or projected near term future costs. The contractor could determine the pre-2025 trash tax rate, as either a line item city budget number, mor for the rate individual property owners currently pay. How can you draw a “conclusion” about the new tax rate, without knowing the budget line item taxes collected, and revenues expended, on pre-2025 city budgets? if a company did this on wall street, it would be delisted, prosecuted for fraud, and go out of business. Forever. Why is Voice of San Diego not investigating the fraudulent and currupt city budget process?? Apparently, Voice of San Diego is just another agent of propaganda.
Stop the lies. Voice of San Diego, stop promoting the lies. There has NEVER been “free” trash service in San Diego, and the city is arbitrarily using a deceitful and probably illegal tax to balance a budget that the mayor and city council are incapable of managing. Report facts, without the propoganda and lies.
But mister! Nobody cares! 83% of eligible voters did not cast a ballot in the last election. Nobody cares, that is why I run for office every two years in order to prove the hypocrisy and madness of San Diego media and voters. They must all be really dumb not to vote.
Is this publication run by people who eat $21 sandwiches?
This is a tax and not a fee and here is why. I put one black bin every two weeks which is only 1/3 full. Neighbors down the street put out a black bin every week which is so full the lid won’t close. Yet we will be paying the same amount for trash service. Why should I bother with recycling or separating green matter? No thanks!
If a single family house has two apartments, may we just get one bin?
And there is a variation in the payment based on the size of the bin. Can you repeat that for those of us who didn’t save the choices. Sorry.
A normal business would contract out the service and pocket the rest. The city chooses to make it more expensive by operation and hire consultants who inflate the expenses without proof. What will happen when landfill fees are suddenly raised after being underfunded? Another San Diego hot mess.
Erroneous propaganda persists as to homeowners not paying for trash services by the city. The city takes money from property taxes. And the cost of trash services is offset by money the city receives. Why is there not an accurate accounting of those services by the city? When will this be detailed as an investigative piece to clarify the issue?