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There’s No Free Trash

Fact Sheet

San Diego is the only municipality in the state that provides no-fee trash collection for some of its residents but requires others to purchase those services from private companies. 

• Today 52% of the city’s 1.3 million residents (287,000 households) receive no-fee trash pickup because Municipal Code §66.0127, which requires City forces to handle trash collection, was amended in 1981 to specify that fees could not be charged for homes on public streets.

• No-fee pickup and disposal of residential trash costs $43 million per year which comes out of the City’s General Fund.

• The General Fund is primarily used to pay for services that benefit the collective good: police, fire-rescue, park & recreation, libraries, transportation and stormwater management.

• Monies come into the General Fund from property tax, sales tax, user fees for libraries/golf/filing fees/engineering, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), franchise fees, etc. 

• The ordinance is inequitable because community members in apartments, condos and homes on private streets are paying a private hauler to collect and dispose of their trash (often as part of their rent). Through their contributions to the City's General Fund, they also support the no-fee service received by others.

• The City is spending nearly $2 million a year collecting trash from an estimated 16,000 single family homes used as short-term vacation rentals. Accessory dwelling units and “mini-dorms” also currently receive no-fee service.

• Due to the expansion of recycling and green waste pickup service (with weekly service starting in 2023), costs have increased significantly, but the City cannot implement charges because current Municipal Code prohibits fees.

• Trash services are NOT listed as a special tax on property bills. Homeowners living in condos pay the same property tax rate as homeowners living in houses, yet only the single family homes on public streets receive no-fee, unlimited trash service.

• Residents receiving no-fee trash service never see a bill and are generally unaware of the true cost of this service.

• San Diegans are unhappy with the current fees for purchase and delivery of trash bins. The proposed amendment specifies that the cost of bins would be included if a fee for trash services is levied, so residents no longer have to pay a standalone fee for bins.

• The proposed ballot measure makes clear that City employees will continue to provide the service–it will not be outsourced.

Facing a climate crisis, state lawmakers passed a bill (Senate Bill 1383) that requires cities to decrease the amount of food and yard waste in landfills to reduce methane emissions. The City’s Climate Action Plan, adopted in 2015, has a target of achieving 90% waste diversion, 90% landfill emissions capture and cutting half of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

• Residents need more education about how to reduce, recycle, reuse and repair but the city has not had funds to do an ad campaign.

• The City cannot educate residents by email or phone/text because it does not have this contact information for the residents being served.

• There is no limit on the amount of waste the City will pick up without charge from any individual household it serves.

• Equally charging all residents for trash pickup will incentivise waste diversion helping reduce landfill emissions and help San Diego reach its Climate Action Plan goals.

• Variable-rate pricing programs have been and are being adopted in thousands of communities nationwide.

• Variable-rate pricing, also known as “Pay as You Throw” (PAYT) programs provide incentives for residents to recycle, compost and reduce the amount of waste generated.

• Adding another landfill is not a viable option and would not help the City or State meet climate action goals. Variable-rate pricing is the single most effective method for reducing residential waste going to the landfill.

Next Steps

• Municipal Code §66.0127 must be amended by voters to allow the city to recover the cost of trash collection.

• The ballot measure, which needs a simple majority to pass, would also clarify that short-term vacation rentals, accessory dwelling units, and mini-dorms can be charged.

• A potential trash fee would have to undergo a full Proposition 218 process, which would include the requisite cost of services studies, property owner notifications and Council approval. This process is expected to take two to three years.

• Residents could contribute their ideas for how the $43 million of General Fund monies should be spent during the annual budget meetings.

Also see White Paper

Questions? Email seac@lwvsandiego.org