A new organics waste law from the state, in addition to reduced global demand for recyclable materials will likely result in sanitation rate hikes for Claremont residents beginning this summer. After hearing a presentation from city staff and the consulting firm Willdan Financial Services on Tuesday, the Claremont City Council voted to go ahead with the legal notification process that is a prerequisite to an increase in sanitation fees.
At the core of the rate hike is a new law from Sacramento requiring cities to compost organic wastes that currently go to landfills to reduce methane gas emissions. This law, SB 1383, requires all cities in California to implement a universal organic waste recycling program on or before January 1, 2022. Organic waste includes landscape waste, food scraps, non-hazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper products. The program is estimated to cost the city $400,000 per year.
Additionally, changing demand for the non-sorted recyclable materials Claremont collects in its curbside containers has shifted from a revenue generating enterprise to one that will become an expense for the city. To offset these new expenses, Willdan recommended a fee increase of 12 percent annually for all residential, multi-family and commercial customers. Residents with more than one 96-gallon green waste or recycling container would have an extra monthly charge of $5.50 tacked on to their bill for each additional container. A cost of living increase of approximately three percent may be necessary each year between 2022 and 2026.
Residents with the small, 35-gallon refuse container, which currently costs $23.46 per month, will pay $26.28 under the new rate structure. Each single family home or unit in a multifamily complex will be allowed three containers: refuse, recyclables and green waste.