SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — For the first time, single-family homeowners in the City of San Diego will now pay to have their trash collected after City Councilmembers voted 6-3 to adopt a new Solid Waste Management fee schedule Monday afternoon.
The decision comes after a lengthy public hearing in City Council chambers downtown, during which 121 members of the community voiced their opinions — a majority of whom opposed the proposal — over the course of several hours.
“Oh, I’m a very passionate person, and when I see something unjust and wrong, I am against it 100%," said Valentina Hernandez III, who held up a hand-made sign that read "San Diego says no to trash fees."
Until now, single-family homeowners have been able to enjoy trash collection services for free for more than a century.
In 1919, the city adopted the People's Ordinance, which prohibited the city from charging for trash pickup.
However, that changed in 2022 when voters approved Measure B, although the potential charges at that time ranged between $23 to $29.
That's a big difference from the $32 to $44 monthly fee approved on Monday, which was already a $4 cheaper from the price structure proposed in April, and nearly $10 cheaper than the one in February.
With the current breakdown, customers would see a first-year fee of $523.20 (which breaks down to $43.60 per month) for a standard 95-gallon trash bin.
Here's how the Environmental Services Department breaks it down:
The complete now-adopted proposal can be viewed here.
You'll notice cheaper rates are offered for smaller trash containers. While all 233,000 qualifying customers will be given a standard 95-gallon trash bin bundle (including the recycling and organics containers), residents could instead request a smaller bin size (65-gallon and 35-gallon) to pay a lower monthly fee.
The costs would then increase at the start of each fiscal year.
“The people who can afford to pay these fees will say, 'You know what, I’m tired of paying for the city’s excess mismanagement and I’m going to leave,'" said long-time resident Jenny Smith.
Timothy Douglass, President of AFSCME Local 127, a union representing 2.300 local skilled workers, told ABC 10News the fee would allow the department to become an enterprise system that doesn't rely on the general fund to operate.
If it didn't pass, he said the workforce would take a huge hit.
“If this fee does not go through, we will not be able to do our job," Douglass said. "We would have to potentially lay off almost 1,600 city employees.”
With a split decision among City Councilmembers, it's clear the trash fee wasn't an obvious solution, but for those who supported it said it simply came down to the not-so-simple budget deficit, which already sits at $258 million.
“If we do not pass a trash fee as articulated in the motion, we will blow at least an $80 million hole in the budget," said Council President Joe LaCava.
The city's Independent Budget Analyst warned during last Friday's Budget Review Committee Meeting that $80 million in additional cuts would hurt other already-underfunded city services like libraries, stormwater operations and public safety.
Rick Fry, Pastory at Ascension Lutheran Church, understood that was at stake when he spoke during Monday's public comment period.
“We need to approve this trash fee," he said. "Otherwise, we're allowing single-family homeowners get subsidized trash service to the detriment of our city budget. It makes our city less livable.”
With its passing, residents will start paying the fee July 1.
City Councilmembers can now review, revise and draft a final budget, with a vote expected to come Tuesday.
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