Starting July 1, the $523 Trash Fee is sparking fury. San Diego homeowners will pay yearly for garbage pickup, no matter how little they throw out.
For single-family homeowners who’ve never paid separately for waste, the sudden charge feels like a slap. The city claims it’s necessary, but many call it a betrayal.
So here’s what’s going down: San Diego’s City Council approved a new monthly solid-waste fee of $43.60. That covers your standard 95-gallon trash, recycling, and organic waste bins. The twist? It doesn’t matter if your garbage can is half-empty week after week, you’re still paying the full amount. The fee affects 226,495 single-family homes, many of whose owners are longtime residents that feel blindsided.
This decision marks the end of a 106-year-old tradition where trash pickup was covered by the city’s general fund for homeowners. Residents are calling this a bait-and-switch since a 2022 ballot measure, Measure B, led many to believe the monthly cost would stay between $23 and $29. But when the actual cost study dropped in April, the numbers ballooned to as high as $47.59 per month, sparking a storm of outrage.
Council meetings have turned heated, with over 100 people showing up to protest. So far, 46,000 formal protests have been filed, but under city law, at least 113,000 would’ve been needed to block the fee. Residents like Scott Case are calling it dishonest and unfair. “We feel like we are victims of a bait-and-switch scheme,” he said. Another longtime homeowner who’s lived in the city for 50 years bluntly stated, “I don’t see any extra bonus from paying more money for something we have been paying for 100 years.”
To ease the financial hit, the city says people can switch to smaller bin plans starting July 15 and possibly earn credits. New bins will roll out in October, and the city is setting aside $3 million for financial assistance programs. Depending on income, residents could qualify for full, half, or partial subsidies.
Council President Joe LaCava defended the fee, warning that skipping it would blow an $80 million hole in the city’s next budget. Others argue that single-family homeowners have unfairly benefited for too long, while multi-family housing residents have already been footing the bill through private waste services. Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera made that point clear: “This is not a new cost. This is a cost that has been borne by those who do not receive city services.”
Still, critics aren’t letting it slide. They’re furious about the $4.5 million consulting fee the city paid just to study the cost of the service. Councilman Raul Campillo, who voted against the measure, said, “I believe the final product is not what the majority of the city voted for.”
The fee, while deeply unpopular, is part of a broader plan to plug budget gaps and improve San Diego’s trash diversion efforts. The city collects about 300,000 tons of trash and 150,000 tons of recycling, compostables, and yard waste annually. But with the Miramar Landfill expected to reach capacity by 2031 and the current diversion rate sitting at a low 32%, officials say drastic measures are needed to hit the 80% waste diversion goal.
There’s another council meeting scheduled for June 24, where officials will decide whether to add the new fee directly to property tax rolls. While recycling pickup and composting programs may get expanded, that hasn’t softened the blow for angry residents.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the San Diego trash fee details:
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $43.60 |
| Annual Cost | $523 |
| Affected Homes | 226,495 |
| Initial Promised Fee (2022) | $23–$29 |
| Actual Fee Estimate (2024) | $36.72–$47.59 |
| Required Formal Protests to Block | 113,000 |
| Protests Filed | 46,000 |
| Consulting Study Cost | $4.5 million |
| Financial Aid Budget | $3 million |
| Waste Diversion Rate (Current) | 32% |
| Waste Diversion Target | 80% |
| Landfill Closure Forecast | 2031 |
So yeah, welcome to a whole new trash era in San Diego. If you’re a homeowner, this $523 annual fee is coming whether you’re tossing out one banana peel or bags of garbage every week. The fee might just be one of the city’s most unpopular moves in recent memory, and with the fight not over yet, all eyes are on how residents, and city leaders, handle the fallout.
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