Orange County residents are continuing to see their trash bills get more expensive as the cost to haul trash off to the region’s landfills is rising.
Earlier this year, OC Supervisors raised costs to dump trash in the landfills with prices expected to continue to grow in the next few years to address rising expenses, future expansions and the closure of the Brea Olinda landfill.
[Read: Trash Rate Hikes are on the Horizon for Orange County Residents]
Some residents will be feeling a steeper rise than others this year.
Cypress residents will see their trash bill go up nearly $6 a month starting in July while Buena Park residents will see their bills go up by nearly $4 a month.
Cypress Trash Rates Going Up About $6 a Month
Much of this year’s increase in Cypress – roughly $5.33 of it – is directly related to the county landfill cost while a remaining $0.47 is due to inflation. The price hike will drive monthly bills from about roughly $25 to $31.
Cypress Councilman David Burke said the increase their residents will be facing is higher than other towns because of their agreement with Valley Vista – the city’s trash hauler – that his predecessors amended to make disposal costs account for more of the contract’s price.
“Different cities are affected by this differently because of the individual contract that each city has with their own waste provider,” he said at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “The $5.33 increase that we’re facing here is more than it is in a number of other cities in Orange County that are subject to the same agreement.”
Cypress council members in 2021 amended their contract with Valley Vista to make residential trash disposal a 37% component of the cost. Prior to that, disposal was 20% of the contract cost for residents.
Ultimately, Cypress officials voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a new waste disposal agreement with the county after staff said the increase was still cheaper than taking trash elsewhere.
“Cypress, along with many other cities, have explored other options, but those alternatives were significantly higher than what the county is providing,” said Public Works Director Nick Mangkalakiri at the meeting.
“This agreement ensures long term access to the landfill, county landfill system, which is critical.”
Rising Trash Rates Across OC
On Tuesday, officials in Buena Park also voted unanimously on upping trash rates for residents without much discussion. Trash rates there will go up for residents from roughly $26 a month to about $30 this year.
In Fountain Valley, prices are going up by a little more than $2.50 – jumping from roughly $32 a month to $35.
In La Palma, there will also be about a $2.50 increase, going from $26.36 to about $29 a month.
In Garden Grove, there will be a roughly $4 increase, going from $30 to about $34 a month.
Meanwhile in Huntington Beach, residents are looking at a nearly $8 increase going from about $29 to $37 a month this summer.
Trash prices are not just rising this year.
The county’s current disposal rate of roughly $44 per ton is expected to jump to $81 by 2029 and after that will be adjusted annually based on the consumer price/waste industry index.
Will Cypress Residents Get More Free Bulky Trash Pick Ups?
Burke also publicly asked if Valley Vista would allow for more free bulky trash pick ups in the city amid the cost increases.
Under Cypress’ contract with Valley Vista, residents are entitled to two free bulky item pick ups per year for things like sofas, chairs, toilets, stoves, bicycles, suitcases, mattresses, water heaters and more – one of the stingiest free bulky pickup policies in the county.
Most cities allow for 16 bulky items or more to be picked up for free every year from single family homes.
[Read: How Hard is it to Throw Away Bulky Trash in Orange County?]
David Perez, president of Valley Vista Services, contended their bulky item policy was restrictive in Cypress and they’d work with the city to improve it.
“We could come up with something that is a little more generous and probably more thoughtful,” he said.
“I think something along the lines of – four calls per year, and every call is up to 10 or 12 items. I think that way everybody gets something.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.