San Diego voters passed Measure B in 2022, which allowed the City Council to approve a Solid Waste Management Fee in June of 2025. The fee allows the City to recover the cost of providing solid waste management services to residential properties receiving service from the Environmental Services Department. This includes collection and disposal of solid waste, and collection and processing of recyclables and organic waste. Before the fee was created, these services were paid for primarily with the City’s General Fund, which also pays for services such as police, fire and rescue, transportation, libraries, parks and recreation, and other departments. Establishing the fee frees up money that would have needed to be spent on solid waste services to residential properties. With the fee in place, the Environmental Services Department no longer depends on annual requests from the City’s General Fund. The money collected by the fee can only be used to provide solid waste services to people who pay the fee.

Information can be found on the City’s Measure B page. For additional background about Measure B and the public process that led to the City adopting its new Solid Waste Management Fee, visit CleanGreenSD.org.

On June 24, 2025, the City Council authorized Solid Waste Management Fee collection via the County tax roll. The fee will be included on annual County property tax bills sent to property owners eligible for the services. The fee will appear as a line item identified as: “SD Solid Waste Mgmt Fee.” For Fiscal Year 2026, the fee is $523.20, due in two equal installments of $261.60. The first installment is due by Dec. 10, 2025, and the second is due by April 10, 2026.

If you believe you received the fee in error or that the amount you are being charged is incorrect, please complete a Fee Dispute Form. Environmental Services will review and address your case. Assistance with this form is available. Please call Environmental Services Department Customer Service at 858-694-7000, Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., or email trash@sandiego.gov. Anticipated processing time is 4-6 weeks. Anticipated processing time is 4-6 weeks.

The Solid Waste Management Fee has been approved with increases scheduled for the next three years (July 1, 2026; July 1, 2027; and July 1, 2028). Further increases after July 1, 2028 would require additional City Council action. The fee increase starting in 2027 will incorporate service enhancements, including weekly recycling collection and curbside pickup of bulky items.

Yes, a credit will be applied to the fee on your next fiscal year tax bill, effective from the date you receive your new trash container. Likewise, people who order additional bins will have an additional amount due on their next year’s tax bill to reflect the additional cost. You will earn the credit or accrue the extra charges beginning on the date you receive your new container(s).

The County administers the collection of property taxes and fees. Late payments may be subject to fees determined by the County. You can learn more about the process at County of San Diego Taxpayers Frequently Asked Questions.

Containers purchased before July 1, 2025 are not eligible for refunds or credits. Before July 1, 2025, the previous container fee structure was still in place. The old fee charged for containers has now been eliminated, and this cost became part of the overall Solid Waste Management Fee. The City will now provide container repair, replacement and delivery at no additional cost.

Effective July 1, 2025, the City provides container repair, replacement and delivery at no additional cost because its new Solid Waste Management Fee incorporates this service.

In mid-July 2025, the City launched a new online Waste Portal for customers to select and manage their trash, recycling and organic waste containers, view their service and fee history, and subscribe to text and email alerts from the City. The City began delivering new containers to all customers beginning in October 2025, with plans to continue the effort into summer 2026.

In July 2027, the City will increase recycling collection frequency from biweekly to weekly and launch a new curbside bulky item pickup program.

There is no option to keep your existing City-provided trash and recycling containers. City crews will typically pick up and remove the old containers on the same day they deliver new ones, based on collection routes and service days. The old containers will be recycled to make new containers. The City’s new trash containers are gray, and its new recycling containers are a lighter shade of blue. The new colors will help the City’s sanitation drivers distinguish the new containers from the old ones. The City will no longer collect from the old containers after it rolls out the new containers.

The rollout of new trash and recycling containers will occur in phases across the city into 2026. As a property owner, you will receive a mailed notification that informs you when to expect delivery for your household and describes how to sign up for text or email reminders before your deliveries.

Deliveries of the new gray trash containers began in mid-October 2025 and are scheduled to continue into spring 2026. On delivery days, the old containers will be removed and recycled. While delivery and removal may not occur together, both are expected to happen on the same day. All old containers should be left out on the date the new container deliveries are scheduled to occur. The Environmental Services Department recognizes and thanks you for your cooperation and contribution during this citywide effort.

To avoid disruptions to service, the City will continue collecting the old containers until the new ones are received.

You can check the Container Delivery Lookup tool to see when new containers will arrive in your area.

No refunds or credits are given when the old City containers are removed. The City containers are City property, part of the City’s collection services infrastructure. Before July 1, 2025, the previous container fee structure was still in place. Any containers purchased and received prior to July 1, 2025, were subject to that fee and are not eligible for refunds. As of July 1, 2025, the prior, separate fees for container repairs, replacements and deliveries have been repealed because the costs of those services are incorporated into the new Solid Waste Management Fee. The City will now provide container repair, replacement and delivery at no additional cost.

There is no option to continue service with the existing City-provided black trash containers and dark blue recycling containers. The City will pick up and remove the old containers to be recycled as it delivers the new containers. The material from the old containers will be made available for creating new containers. The City’s new trash containers are gray, and the new recycling containers are a lighter shade of blue. With the new colors, the City’s sanitation drivers can easily distinguish the new containers from the old ones. The City will no longer collect from the old containers after the rollout of the new gray trash containers and new lighter blue recycling containers.

All old containers must be returned when the new ones are delivered because California Senate Bill 1383 and City Recycling Ordinance Container and Signage Guidelines require all new trash, recycling and organic waste recycling containers to have standardized labels showing what materials are accepted and prohibited. The new City-issued containers meet these requirements, while the old ones do not.

If you purchased a non-City container (e.g., from a hardware store), it is yours to keep. However, the City will no longer collect any items placed in it. Following the rollout of new containers, the City will serve only City-issued gray, light blue and green containers.

This ensures the City is collecting only from City customers at the correct service level for those customers.

It is up to you, the property owner, to determine how many containers you need. The minimum for the lot you own is one trash container, one recycling container and one organic waste container for the overall lot. If you have more than one residence on your property, you may need more than one of each to contain the solid waste generated by your property. You can order additional containers at Waste Portal.

If you did not make a selection by Sept. 30, 2025, you will receive one 95-gallon trash container and one 95-gallon recycling container by default. If you know this will not be enough, please create your Waste Portal account now. When you receive your new trash container, you will have 30 days to request a different number of containers or change the size of your containers.

If you receive or keep more than one City-issued green organics container, the City will apply an additional monthly charge to your fee for each additional container, effective from the date you receive the additional container or from when the City confirms the number of containers you keep.

If you currently have more than one City-issued green organic waste container but would like to reduce to a single container only, you can update the number of containers on your account in the Waste Portal during your 30-day, swap-out period following delivery of your new trash container(s).

Yes, you can select the size and number of bins you want by setting up an account on the Waste Portal.

If you did not make a selection by Sept. 30, 2025, you will receive one 95-gallon trash container and one 95-gallon recycling container by default. If you know this will not be enough or want smaller containers, please create your Waste Portal account now. When you receive your new trash container, you will have 30 days to request changes.

The City is providing recycling and organic waste collection at the service level of 95-gallon containers only. However, customers may make a special request for a smaller 35-gallon or 65-gallon size recycling and/or organic waste container at the same rate if they prefer a smaller container for reasons unrelated to solid waste services, for example, due to space considerations. All customers will be charged at the 95-gallon container rate for recycling and organic waste collection services.

Those who didn’t make a selection by the Sept. 30, 2025 deadline will receive the 95-gallon trash bin and the 95-gallon recycling bin. Initially, everyone will be charged at the 95-gallon service level ($43.60 per month, totaling $523.20 for the year). Customers will have 30 days after they receive the new gray trash bin to change their container sizes and quantity via the Waste Portal if needed. Fee adjustments will be reflected on next year's tax bill.

If a customer currently has a bundle of one trash container, one recycling container, or one organic waste container in which one or more of the containers is smaller than 95-gallon and would like to proceed with increasing the size of one or more of their containers to a 95-gallon size as soon as practicable, they should make a container upgrade request. Otherwise, for those willing to wait, customers should use the Waste Portal to update their selection during the 30-day period after delivery of their new gray trash container(s).

The City’s new bins have a scannable reader tag. This RFID technology will identify the bins assigned to your household. The City is piloting the use of that technology to track when our trucks empty a container, helping us increase effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability, and improve the City’s waste collection operating efficiency.

While the tags serve identification purposes, they are also designed to increase overall efficiency. The City is piloting its use of RFID technology to track when our trucks empty a container, which will help us increase effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability and improve the City’s waste collection operating efficiency.

Deliveries are based on collection routes and service days. Find your estimated delivery date at Trash Service Updates page. Dates may change—please check back regularly as your delivery approaches. You may not alter or schedule your delivery date, so please coordinate with a neighbor or trusted person to set out your old containers and pull in your new containers, if you will not be home on the scheduled day. The City will send email reminders to its Waste Portal subscribers in advance of deliveries along with text reminders (if you have opted in). If you want to be notified, please opt into email and/or text alerts through your Waste Portal account.

The Container Requirements for Residential Property section of the Waste Management Regulation states, "A residential property must obtain at least one of each type of automated collection container per lot at a minimum and place each type of material only in its appropriate container."

This is consistent with the Solid Waste Management Fee adopted by the City Council on June 9, 2025. Under the adopted fee, the owner of each property is provided and charged for service that includes collection from their individual containers, which will consist of, for each separately owned property, at least one trash container, at least one recycling container, and at least one organic waste recycling container. The fee adopted by the City Council applies to each property owner who receives service from the City. Under the adopted fee, the City service level is based on the size of the trash container. The smaller the trash container, the lower the fee. Regardless of the size of the trash container, the fee includes collection from a 95-gallon recycling container and collection from a 95-gallon organic waste recycling container.

While all fees include recycling and organic waste collection at the service level of 95-gallon containers, as a property owner, you may make a special request for a smaller 35-gallon or 65-gallon size recycling and/or organic waste container. There will be no reduction to the fee, but this change can accommodate customers who would like smaller containers due to space considerations.

If your property does not have sufficient space to meet City requirements for solid waste collection and/or otherwise cannot meet City requirements for solid waste collection, you, as the property owner, have the option to file an appeal to appeal your eligibility for City service. If the appeal is approved, you must obtain private franchise hauling services.

Property owners who missed the Sept. 30 deadline and did not make a selection will receive one 95-gallon trash container and one 95-gallon recycling container by default. If you know this will not be enough, please create your Waste Portal account now. When you receive your new trash container, you will have 30 days to request changes.

Having an account also includes benefits such as being able to see your property’s service and fee history, access to text and email updates from the City, and the ability to make service adjustments to your containers in the future, including during the 30-day swap-out period following delivery of your new trash container(s). Visit the Trash Service Updates page to get started and create your account today.

For additional assistance, please visit our Waste Portal Resources web page for instructional videos and other training resources. If you have a disability or do not have access to or familiarity with the internet, you may call 858-694-7000 for assistance.

Request a unique code.

Property owners who missed the Sept. 30 deadline and did not make a service bundle selection will receive one 95-gallon trash container and one 95-gallon recycling container by default. If you know this will not be enough or that you will want a smaller container, please create your Waste Portal account now. When you receive your new trash container, you will have 30 days to request changes.

Having an account also includes benefits such as being able to see your property’s service and fee history, access to text and email updates from the City, and the ability to make service adjustments to your containers in the future, including during the 30-day, swap-out period following delivery of your new trash containers. Visit sandiego.gov/trash to get started and create your account today.

Yes. After logging into the Waste Portal for the first time and adding your first property, you can add additional properties. Once you have logged into your Portal account, select the “Add a New Property” button. (The button location on the screen changes depending on whether you have one property or already have multiple properties added to your account.)

For additional assistance, please visit the Portal resources page for instructional videos and other training resources.

The City automatically provides service for each eligible property. The City’s sanitation drivers complete their routes to customers each week, and the service is immediately available to all eligible customers. The City is currently replacing black trash containers with new gray trash containers and dark blue recycling containers with new light blue recycling containers. After this rollout, the City will only provide service for the new containers.

If your property is eligible for City service but does not currently have a functional City trash, recycling or organic waste container, please visit
the Waste Portal to request the replacement of a missing container or repair/replacement of a damaged container.

As a property owner, you can and should create a Waste Portal account to manage your service. Having an account has benefits such as viewing your property’s service and fee history, receiving text and email updates from the City, and making service adjustments. Visit the Trash Service Updates page to get started and create your account today.

If you are a new property owner, the City will send you a mailer with instructions for creating a Waste Portal account once the City receives updated deed ownership information from the County. This is anticipated to occur several weeks after the change in ownership. If you prefer to create a Waste Portal account immediately upon becoming the owner of your property (e.g., if you would like to immediately change the size(s) or quantity of containers at your property), you may make a provisional account to do so. Please visit our Waste Portal resources page for instructional videos and other training resources if you need additional assistance.

The residential solid waste management service that the City provides to eligible customers cannot be turned on or off. The City’s sanitation drivers complete their routes to customers each week, and the service is immediately available to all eligible customers.

Start by visiting the Trash Service Updates page. Enter your address and confirm that your property is eligible for City service. The City sent the mailer to the tax address of the property owner. If you own a property eligible for City service and did not receive the mailer, you may find a copy at the Mailers, Guides, Workshops, and Resources web page. You may also check the container delivery schedule for the date your new containers are scheduled to arrive.

If your address does not appear eligible, but you believe it should be eligible for City service, you may submit an appeal.

Start by visiting the Trash Service Updates page to enter your address and confirm eligibility for City service. If you are the owner of the property and it is eligible for City service, but you did not receive your new bins, check the container delivery schedule to confirm whether your scheduled delivery date has already passed. If the date has passed and you did not receive your new containers, please contact us at trash@sandiego.gov to arrange for delivery of your new bins.

Yes. If you need help, our Customer Services team can assist with your selections and answer questions at 858-694-7000.

No. The City’s General Fund and voluntary contributions will fund the program.

The City is finalizing details of a financial assistance program for eligible property owners whose homes receive solid waste collection service from the City of San Diego. Eligibility criteria will likely be based on household income and size, or enrollment in specified assistance programs. The City is targeting a launch in fall 2025. Once the program is live, the City will accept applications on a rolling basis, either online or at planned outreach events. See the Financial Assistance page for more information. To stay informed, sign up for email or text alerts through your Waste Portal account.