Residents on much of the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County could see a significant garbage rate hike, if a protest vote of customers fails to hold the line.
County Supervisors were asked to set a June 17 date for a hearing to consider rate hikes by three garbage-hauling companies — Mission Country Disposal, San Luis Garbage and South County Sanitation Services — all of which are divisions within the larger, Waste Connections, which holds franchise agreements with the County.
Mission Country Disposal serves rural areas of Morro Bay, Los Osos, Cayucos and Cambria plus San Simeon and Harmony.
Each of these areas could see a different rate hike, meant to cover increasing costs for the companies to provide the service.
For example, rural Morro Bay customers would see the cost for a 32-gallon waste hauler go from $24.60 a month, temporarily jumping up to $31.52 on July 1, but dropping back down to $28.06 next January. This is to cover the rate hike, which would be done retroactively back to Jan. 1, 2025.
Rural Los Osos would see the base rate for a 32-gallon carrier go from $44.59 a month up to $57.14 on July 1 and then back down to $50.87 on Jan. 1.
San Simeon, Harmony and Cambria would go from $41.67 a month to $53.40, then back down to $47.54 for that same 32-gallon can.
The contract also allows for increases every year for inflation through 2030. The company must request the inflationary increases annually for consideration by Supervisors.
Some of the rate hike involves increased costs for hauling organic wastes — food waste — for special processing, at the Hitachi Zosen Inova digester facility.
“A significant portion of each company’s operating costs comes from disposal and processing fees,” reads the County report. “The companies deliver waste for disposal to the Cold Canyon Landfill, recyclables for processing to the Waste Connections Material Recycling Facility, and organics for processing to the Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) anaerobic digestion facility.
“The tipping fee at HZI went up from $135.16 to $173.59 (per ton) in 2024, a 28% increase. Although anaerobic digestion costs more than composting, the HZI facility produces other benefits such as biogas-generated electricity to power around 600 homes.”
Garbage customers should look for notices with their bills that will lay out the process for protesting the hikes under Prop. 218’s requirements for voter approvals for tax increases.
Prop. 218 process is a “protest” vote meaning that if someone opposes the rate hike, they must say so in writing before the June 17 hearing is held. If readers in those affected areas don’t mind paying more, they need do nothing, as not voting is considered a “Yes” to the rate hike.
But in order to protest, it must be done in writing prior to the start of the hearing. Check your current bill for more information.
Garbage customers within the City of Morro Bay or the City Limits of Cayucos, Los Osos and Cambria are not part of this particular rate hike, just the rural dwellers living outside the city or the Community Services Districts, which administer their own garbage contracts.
