Council OKs Initiative on Trash Collection

A November ballot initiative approved by the City Council last week will ask residents if they want to dump businesses from trash collection routes.

The initiative also specifies that the free service be provided only to residential areas within city boundaries as of 1959, when the city began curbside trash collection. The result of that provision is that future residential areas acquired by the city will have to pay for their own trash pickup.

For several years, the city has worked toward making Newport Coast--an unincorporated area near the southernmost part of Newport Beach--part of the city. City officials estimate that it would cost nearly $600,000 to provide trash collection service in Newport Coast, where residential development is projected to add 3,400 units.

If the initiative passes Nov. 5, commercial businesses would be responsible for arranging for private trash collection.

Businesses currently are limited to putting out one curbside container per week. But about 190 businesses are abusing the service by placing several containers a week, costing the city more than $250,000 a year, Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager, said in a report.

The city spends about $4 million annually on trash collection, which it has provided free of charge for 37 years. But City Manager Kevin J. Murphy expects the cost to increase due to increased landfill disposal costs, recycling mandates and operation and labor costs.

The city excludes businesses from refuse services because it doesn’t have the specialized equipment or additional staffing to fully serve the 9,000 businesses that produce solid waste, Murphy said.