NEWPORT BEACH : City to Study Billing for Trash Collection
Facing a tight budget and rising fees, the city may start billing residents for trash pickup service.
The City Council on Monday ordered a study of the garbage collection issue, including strategies to cut the cost of picking up and disposing of trash.
Newport Beach has offered free trash collection for years, allowing residents to set out an unlimited number of containers of any size for weekly pickup.
“Our record is 52 bags,” said Dave Niederhaus, director of general services.
That service now costs the city $11.41 per household each month, City Manager Kevin J. Murphy said. But on July 1, Orange County will raise its disposal fee from $22.75 a ton to $35 a ton, pushing up the city’s cost for trash pickup for each household to $14.26 a month.
The city’s $84-million budget for the coming fiscal year already shows a $4-million shortfall, city officials said, so imposing trash collection fees may be a necessity.
If that happens, a trash fee would be on a March, 1996, ballot.
The Public Works Department also will study the possibility of automated refuse collection, which would cost less because the trucks could be operated by only one person instead of the two required now.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
