City of San Diego Cost-of-Service Study

The City of San Diego Cost-of-Service study (Trash Study) is a public process to evaluate services and potential new fees for City-provided residential trash, recycling and organic waste collection services.

Your opinion matters! Please complete our survey at cleangreensd.org.

Phase 2 Open Houses start Tuesday, Nov. 12

Following a successful Phase 1 effort to connect with San Diegans, the Trash Study team is ready to report back about what the City has learned.

In Phase 1, the study team:

• Spoke with more than 3,400 residents at events
• Heard from more than 3,000 residents through surveys
• Met monthly with leaders from several Community Based Organizations
• Completed much of the financial work that will inform its recommendations to the City Council

To share its data with residents, the team will again hold Open House events in every City Council District this fall and winter. An online meeting will also be available for people who prefer to attend via Zoom.

Find an Open House in your Council District, or attend the one most convenient for you:

• Council District 6: Nov. 12, 5:30-7 p.m. at University Community Library, 4155 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122
• Council District 2: Nov. 18, 5:30-7 p.m. at Cathy Hopper Friendship Center at the North Clairemont Recreation Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA 92117
• Council District 7: Nov. 19, 5:30-7 p.m. at Tierrasanta Recreation Center, 11220 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92117
• Council District 3: Nov. 20, 4-5:30 p.m. at San Diego Central Library @ Joan ^ Irwin Jacobs Common, 330 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101
• Council District 5: Nov. 25, 5:30-7 p.m. at San Diego Oasis at Rancho Bernardo, 17170 Bernardo Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92128
• Council District 8: Nov. 26, 5:30-7 p.m. at San Ysidro Library, 4235 Beyer Blvd., San Diego, CA 92173
• Council District 9: Dec. 2, 5:30-7 p.m. at College-Rolando Library, 660 Montezuma Road, San Diego, CA 92113
• Council District 4: Dec. 3, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Educational Cultural Complex Upstairs Lobby, 4343 Ocean View Blvd., San Diego, CA 92113
• Citywide: Dec. 6, 10-11 a.m., online via Zoom. Visit cleangreensd.org to register.
• Council District 1: Dec. 10, 5:30-7 p.m. at Pacific Beach/Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St., San Diego, CA 92109

Participants in these Round 2 Open House meetings will learn about:

• Study outreach accomplishments
• Priorities expressed by residents
• Services and fees in nearby communities

The photos shown above were taken at the study's Phase 1 Open House in Point Loma. Like those sessions, the Round 2 events will feature stations where residents can pose their questions to members of the study team.

Please visit the Contact page at CleanGreenSD.org to request ADA accommodations or language and translation support. 

Learn more in your neighborhood

The study team continues to participate in community meetings and events. Residents who may enjoy more formal presentations of study information can attend meetings of Community Planning Groups and Town Councils where the Trash Study is on the agenda. The team also hosts tables or provides flyers at farmers markets and community events.

Access the event calendar at the project website, CleanGreenSD.org.

 Did you know?

Any new fees or rates increases adopted by public agencies in California must comply with Proposition 218. Agencies may not charge more than their actual costs for providing services.

That was not the case in 1919, when residents voted for City trash services because they were unhappy with private haulers. There were several issues that led to the People's Ordinance.

They included:

• Dumping trash too close to shore or piling it on the docks
• Frequent price increases
• "Double-dipping" to increase profits by selling the garbage to pig farmers

At that time, residents said they deserved a price break from the sales to pig farmers. The People's Ordinance included the requirement to first recover profits from hog farmers before setting a tax for City trash services.