The free ride is almost over for San Diego homeowners: the city is about to follow through on its plan to start charging for weekly trash collection.
Pending approval from the city council, San Diego plans to begin charging 233,000 customers $53 a month for trash collection and recycling services.
“I’m not too happy about it,” said Clairemont Mesa resident Mark Smith, who rewards his garbage man every week with a can of Dr. Pepper.
Smith said trash collectors work hard and deserve to be rewarded, but also said the price hike will hurt residents.
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“Hitting everybody with 53 bucks a month when we have to pay everything else that’s going up — the price of eggs, the price of milk, everything seems to be going up, up, up, up except for our wages — so it just doesn’t seem fair,” said Smith, who suggested a slow, incremental increase might be easier to absorb.
The proposed price will be among the highest for trash collection in Southern California, according to the city’s own research now available online. La Mesa residents pay $27.33 per month, people in Chula Vista pay $36.80 each month, and Carlsbad homeowners pay $36.80. All three cities employ outside sanitation companies to handle their trash, while San Diego will use city employees and equipment.
The San Diego plan has some wiggle room for those who want to save a few dollars. Residents who opt for smaller 35-gallon cans will only be charged $42 per month. The city is also considering subsidizing some property owners who meet certain criteria.
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Jeremy Bauer, the assistant director of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department, said having residents pay for trash collection will help the bottom line of the city’s general fund, freeing up $60 million for things like fire, police, parks and libraries.
Bauer said residents will notice increased reliability and consistency in their trash services, including a dedicated missed-collections crew, and new trucks to replace those placed out of service. He also promised free replacement cans. In the past, residents had to pay for replacements.
City Council’s Environment Committee will review the trash collection plan at its meeting this week. In March, the Environmental Services Department will present the proposed fees to the city council and a decision will be made in June.
Homeowners will receive notices 45 days before the fees go into effect. If a majority of eligible residents have valid protests of the proposed fees, the council may not be able to impose them.
Homeowners will begin getting billed in July through their property taxes.
