San Diego inches closer to deciding its trash pickup fee

Update, Feb. 14: The city of San Diego is proposing a monthly full-service rate of $53 for trash pickup, the Union-Tribune reported. That would increase to $65 in 2027 when more trash and recycling services are added. Councilmembers have praised the plan, which would put San Diego among the highest in Southern California for trash rates.

But customers willing to use smaller trash bins — 35 gallons, instead of the normal 95 gallons — would pay $42 per month instead of $53, and their rate would rise to only $52 in 2027.
San Diegans may soon learn how much they’ll be charged for trash pickup after years of not paying for it.

The San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee will hear potential fee schedules at its meeting next week after a monthslong effort to study the city’s waste management and gather public input from residents, according to city staff.

Councilmembers next month will also discuss the findings and are expected to decide how much to charge by June. 

But all eligible households will receive a mailer on the proposed fee at least 45 days before that, a city spokesperson said. If the city receives valid protests from more than half of the households, the council will not be able to adopt the fee.

If the city does not receive a majority protest, residents could begin paying for trash pickup as early as July.

A former city rule known as the People’s Ordinance had prohibited the city from charging residents to pick up trash and recycling bins for the past century. But voters in 2022 narrowly approved Measure B, amending the ordinance and allowing the city to implement a fee. 

Consultants hired by the city have since hosted public meetings and events, administered surveys and educated San Diegans about the potential fee.

The city signed a $4.5 million agreement last year with HDR Engineering Inc. to help determine how much to charge eligible residents. One-third of the contract’s costs is going toward community outreach.

Anna Griffin, an account executive with Cook + Schmid, which is analyzing the outreach data, said during a public meeting last month that the firm engaged with more than 6,300 residents during the first round of outreach last year . The city held multiple community forums last summer that received mixed reviews from attendees on their “open-house” style. 

Officials will begin another round of outreach in the spring.