Los Osos residents could see their garbage bills spike in April. Mission Country Disposal, the company that collects waste in the North Coast community, applied to San Luis Obispo County to raise its rates by about 97%. One resident of Sea Oaks, a 55-and-up mobile home community in Los Osos, said paying for the increased rate will be “a real toughy.” “This will have a devastating effect on many of us,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous to keep her financial situation private. Currently, she qualifies for a low-income garbage pickup rate of about $13 a month. If the county approves the Mission Country Disposal’s rate hike, her monthly bill could jump to $35, she said. “It’s just one more thing,” the woman said. “I need to save every dime that I can because I have no one who’s going to take care of me when I can’t take care of myself.”
Every three years, Mission Country Disposal has the opportunity to apply to the county for rate adjustments. In October 2021, the company applied to the county to increase rates by 45.93% for customers in the Los Osos Community Services District area, according to a San Luis Obispo County staff report. After negotiating with SLO County and the Los Osos CSD, Mission Country Disposal submitted another application on Oct. 18 — this time for a base rate increase of 41.87%.
The base rate increase accounts for wage bumps for employees, spikes in insurance and gas costs, purchasing new vehicles, and higher costs for green waste processing, the staff report said. Mission Country Disposal also imposed two temporary rate increases.