The Board of Supervisors Tuesday is slated to set a public hearing for May on a series of proposed hikes to trash collection fees throughout Riverside County’s unincorporated communities, where retrieval costs may rise about 3% per customer under the haulers’ new rate plans.
The Department of Environmental Health is seeking across-the-board adjustments that all of the county’s trash collectors — Burrtec Waste, CR&R Inc., Desert Valley Disposal Inc. and Waste Management Inc. — want to incorporate into their contracts with the county.
DEH is requesting the board schedule a public hearing for May 12. Officials said the adjustments are necessary to keep pace with inflation. The waste haulers are permitted to seek rate adjustments every year based on rising landfill, transportation and other costs. They generally base their proposed increases on the previous year’s estimated changes to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for the region.
The board rarely denies adjustment requests. However, in 2020, then-Supervisor Kevin Jeffries opposed increases, arguing financial hardships tied to the COVID lockdowns made it an inopportune time to hike fees on residents. The increases were approved despite his opposition.
The proposed Burrtec hike would impact customers in Bermuda Dunes and Thousand Palms, boosting monthly rates from an average $31.09 to $32.18.
Residents serviced by CR&R, which deploys trucks to De Luz, Gilman Hot Springs, Lakeland Village, Cherry Valley, Cabazon and surrounding locations, would see their bills go from between $35.73 and $37.88, to between $36.86 and $39.08.
Desert Valley Disposal customers, most of whom reside in North Palm Springs and Painted Hills, would be on the hook for a $1.28 increase, going from an average $37.78 to $39.06.
Waste Management’s new fee structure would increase from between $35.73 and $37.88, to between $36.86 and $39.08 per month for residential collections in El Cerrito, Highgrove, Winchester, Woodcrest and neighboring communities, according to the Department of Environmental Health.
In some cases, fees would increase beyond the averages under so-called “hard-to-reach” service plans, which apply when properties are especially remote.
Waste collection for the county occurs in defined “franchise areas,” which currently number 11. Most of the existing franchise agreements have been in place since the late 1990s.
If approved at the public hearing — when anyone can speak on the proposed increases — the new fees would take effect July 1.