SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Mandatory Trash Fee Gets Initial OK
A new city law could require all city homeowners to pay for trash collection whether they sign up for the service or not.
“We currently have a subscription system comparable to cable television, where you call and request the service,” said Douglas D. Dumhart, a city spokesman. “But that won’t work any longer. . . . We’re asking everybody to ante up.”
The ordinance, unanimously given initial approval by the City Council last week, also grants Solag Disposal Inc. the exclusive right to haul residential and commercial waste in the city and is designed to allow the city to better regulate its wastes, Dumhart said. City figures show that of 7,994 accounts citywide, only 6,961 now subscribe to the trash pickup service. “That leaves 13% of our waste stream not regulated,” Dumhart said.
The effort to regulate all city wastes is the first step in complying with a 1989 state law that requires cities to adopt a waste reduction plan, Dumhart said.
The ordinance goes back to the council for final approval Tuesday and is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1.
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