If you live in San Diego and own a single-family home, I have some frustrating news: starting July 1, you’ll be charged $43.60 a month—or $523 a year—for trash pickup. That’s right, something you’ve probably had covered by the city for years is about to become an added line in your budget.
This is the first time in over a century that the city is asking single-family homeowners to pay a separate fee for trash collection. For many, especially seniors and people living on fixed incomes, this has come as a shock. Until now, your property taxes helped cover trash services. Now, it’s a separate charge—and you’ll have to pay it whether you generate a lot of garbage or barely any at all.
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The fee will cover three standard 95-gallon bins—for trash, recycling, and organic waste like yard trimmings and food scraps. Even if you don’t fill these bins every week, the city is charging you the same. However, starting July 15, you can log into the city’s Environmental Services Department (ESD) portal and choose a smaller bin plan, which might get you a credit. That’s a small bit of relief, but the base fee still stands.
People are angry. And they’re speaking up. At a recent City Council meeting, more than 100 San Diegans voiced their frustration. Some even accused the city of a “bait-and-switch” after voters were originally told the fee would be closer to $23–$29 a month in a 2022 ballot measure. Now, it’s significantly higher.
To give you an idea of the scale, about 226,495 homes are affected, and 46,000 people filed formal protests. But the city required over 113,000 protests to stop the measure from moving forward.
Council members are split on the issue. Some, like Councilman Raul Campillo, voted against the plan, saying it wasn’t what voters agreed to. Others say it’s necessary to avoid massive budget cuts. According to Council President Joe LaCava, skipping the fee would leave an $80 million gap in the city’s budget—money that would have to be cut from services like police, libraries, or road repairs.
Still, critics argue that the $4.5 million spent on a consulting study to justify the fee could’ve been better used elsewhere. Supporters, meanwhile, say it’s about fairness, since residents in apartments or condos have already been paying privately for their waste removal.
The city is also trying to increase its recycling efforts—San Diego currently diverts only 32% of waste from landfills, far below its 80% goal. With the Miramar Landfill expected to reach capacity by 2031, leaders say there’s no time to waste.
If you’re a homeowner in San Diego, be ready. The new charge will likely show up on your property tax bill, pending a final council vote on June 24.
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