At its Sept. 10 meeting, the County Board of Supervisors held a public
hearing to consider a new agreement with CR&R, the waste collection
service for residents and businesses on the Hill. This also included a
rate increase.
Implementation of Senate Bill 1383, originally approved in September
2016, is the principal reason for the need for higher rates. The current
rates include charges for automated curbside collection and bin
collection for single-family, multi-family, and commercial customers.
By January 2025, SB 1383 mandates that California reduce organic waste
by 75%, and increase edible food recovery by 20%. This will reduce the
amount of organic material going into landfills.
An initial reduction occurred in 2020. Now the County must reduce this
waste going into landfills by another 75%. In an effort to achieve this
goal, jurisdictions are allowed to collect food waste in residential
green waste carts or cans, according to the County’s notice of a
hearing.
This waste then must be processed, which significantly increases the
cost of handling that material. Costs which are not currently part of
the County’s waste management fees.
As a result, the County must increase the solid waste and recycling
collection rates charged by the County’s franchised waste haulers.
Another change will be an effort to establish an edible food recovery
program, whose intent is to divert edible food from waste to useful end
uses. This may include “periodic waste evaluation of sampling and
testing for organic residual in containers meant for the landfill,”
staff told the Board in July.
In order to comply and enforce the new regulations, including an
increase in the oversight of the waste system, the County is increasing
residential waste fees on the Hill from $18 to $19.74 per month.
Commercial rates will also increase. For example, the commercial bin
3-Yard, once a week, collection, the rate will increase 10.4%, from
$296.52 to $327.25. For the commercial roll off customers, the rate
increases 9.7%, from $715.99 to $785.33.
October is the effective date for the new rates.
The County’s solid waste rates were last adjusted effective July 1,
- These rates will not be adjusted again until July 2025, when they
are scheduled for the annual inflation adjustment, the County stated in
its notice.
