Why this matters
Property owners who have been receiving trash collection services will begin paying a fee for the first time in a century. While San Diego will now fall in line with the rest of the state’s cities, its fee will rank among the highest in Southern California.
After years of contention, the San Diego City Council on Monday voted to begin charging property owners a new trash fee.
Starting next month, owners who have been receiving trash pickup for free — a previous city practice for the past century — will begin paying the first installment of $43.60 per month. The fee will gradually increase each July until 2028. Property owners can reduce their fee depending on the size of containers they choose.
Nearly three years ago, San Diegans narrowly passed Measure B, which authorized the city to implement a trash fee for those receiving it for free. Voters were not deciding on a fee amount at the time, but they were presented with an estimate of $23 to $29.
But as inewsource previously reported, the estimates were inaccurate and the fee would be much higher. Fast-forward to this spring: the city’s Office of the Independent Budget Analyst confirmed the inaccuracies with newer estimates.
In a 6-3 vote, councilmembers in favor of the trash fee argued that passing the fee is fair, given that others have had to pay private trash haulers for decades. These ineligible residents include those living in large apartment complexes, some condominiums and homes in private, residential streets.
Here’s what to expect now that the city has approved the fee.
What’s next?
The fee will go into effect on July 1.
On June 24, the council will decide how to charge affected property owners — through monthly bills or a lump sum of the monthly charges to a property owner’s county tax roll. This means affected owners would see a line item on their 2026 tax bill for the annual fee, which officials say would not exceed $523.20 for a year.
Jeremy Bauer, assistant director of the city’s Environmental Services Department, previously told inewsource his department prefers to charge county tax rolls because it’s “significantly” cheaper than setting up a billing department.
By July 15, the city plans to launch a new online portal for property owners to customize their trash bin sizes and services.
The fees will increase three more times each year until July 2028 — capped at $57.55 monthly if property owners don’t change their bin amounts or sizes. The lowest option is $42.89 monthly by 2028.
Even if property owners chose either of the smaller, 35- and 65-gallon trash bins, they will still be charged for the largest, 95-gallon size for the first year. However, the city will reimburse owners who reduce bin sizes. The credit would show up on the next year’s tax roll.
Who’s affected?
Single-family homeowners make up the majority of those affected. But owners of homes such as townhomes and duplexes are also included — as long as they don’t exceed four units on a parcel of land.
Property owners renting out the eligible properties could pass the new trash fee onto renters — though the council will likely soon pass an ordinance aimed to protect tenants from any overcharging.
Is financial assistance available?
The money collected in fees cannot be used to support a financial assistance program. But the city’s Environmental Services Department requested $3 million from the city’s general fund to support such a program.
The department floated potential criteria to qualify for financial assistance, such as assessing household incomes and delinquencies of property tax payments.
What will services look like?
In October, the city plans to begin replacing all existing trash and recycling containers with new, microchipped ones. City officials say the new bins help make sure pickups aren’t missed and people aren’t racking up extra bins without paying for them.
Perhaps the most noticeable difference will be an increase of recycling pickups from biweekly to weekly, but that won’t start until 2027.
Other service changes include container repair, replacement and delivery at no additional cost; garbage truck replacements; hiring staff for missed pickups, customer service, truck repairs, container transports and code compliance; and testing if electric vehicles could join the fleet. These changes would launch this year.
How will this affect the environment?
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera on Monday said that every environmental organization in the region supports the fee. The city’s Environmental Services Department said the fee can lengthen the lifespan of the Miramar landfill, the primary location where the city’s trash gets thrown away.
An increase to weekly recycling particularly will reduce the amount of recyclables that end up in the landfill, officials say.
The city officials say improving collection services is a “critical component” that will help divert trash from the landfill. At its current rate, the landfill will reach full capacity by 2031.
What did councilmembers say?
Elo-Rivera, a lead proponent for the fee, said doing nothing would have kept an unfair policy. He acknowledged the new fee imposes an additional cost on households living in an already expensive city.
“That being said, this isn’t a new cost,” he said. “It’s a cost that’s been borne by people who do not currently receive city-provided waste services.”
Attendees said at the meeting they felt misled on the original fee estimate when they voted on Measure B. Councilmember Raul Campillo sided with them.
“I hate to say it, but I think this is a bait-and-switch, and that’s why I am voting no,” he said.
What does trash have to do with the budget deficit?
Passing the fee would help balance the city’s budget. In December, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced the city faced a $258 million deficit. His budget proposals have included controversial cuts and relied on the trash fee revenue.
The City Council approved its own version on Tuesday. Gloria has the authority to line-item veto, which the council can override with at least six votes. Under state law, a final budget must be approved by June 15.
City officials say Measure E, an attempted one-cent sales tax that voters rejected in November, would have helped offset the deficit.
What happened to protests from residents?
In the end, the opposition failed to halt the fee. There’s a decades-old law that could have pulled it off — Proposition 218 — but not enough property owners submitted a written protest they would have received in the mail. The city would have needed protests from at least 51% of eligible homeowners, or more than 113,000. It received just 46,000.
Dwayne Bullock, a San Diego resident and sanitation driver for the city’s trash fleet, said he’ll likely get a cost passed down to him by his landlord. But, for him, the pros of improved services outweigh the cons of paying a fee.
“I don’t want to pay more in trash, but I do understand having to pay more,” Bullock told inewsource.
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