Los Angeles trash collection fees will be doubled for most households

Residents in Los Angeles will soon see much higher trash collection bills, after the Los Angeles City Council on Friday, April 11, approved a major fee increase – in most cases more than doubling what people currently pay.

Monthly rates for single-family homes are set to jump 54%, from $36.32 to $55.95 next year. Apartment buildings and other multi-family homes will see a steeper increase of 130%, from $24.33 to $55.95. By 2029, the monthly bill for all customers is expected to reach $65.93.

The decision comes as the city faces a $1 billion budget shortfall. Some residents said the trash fee hike will be used to close the budget gap, but officials said trash service costs have risen.

The city hasn’t raised trash collection rates since 2008, but costs have steadily increased, city officials said.

Since 2020-2021, the city’s general fund has been subsidizing the Solid Resources Program, which covers trash collection and recycling, said Barbara Romero, director and general manager of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment. The city’s general fund began covering trash collection costs in 2020 with a $3.9 million subsidy. That amount has grown to more than $200 million a year, now paying for nearly 40% of the program’s costs.

“That percentage will continue to increase if we do not have a rate adjustment,” Romero said. “This steep jump in operational cost in the last five years is attributed to multiple factors. One, increased labor and fuel cost; changes to the program to meet environmental and regulatory mandates; and the global economic changes — especially in recycling.”

But many residents said the higher trash fees will add to already rising living costs.

”It’s going to have an impact on our income,” long-time Sun Valley resident Lionel Mares said. “Food is costly right now, fuel is expensive, insurance has gone up for home insurance, vehicle insurance has gone up, and property taxes have gone up this past year. And another increase in our utilities will just add to our economic woes.”

Some residents said they were caught off guard by the proposed hike, and felt the city didn’t do enough to notify the public.

“ This is not a game-changer. This is a one-thing-after-another disaster,” said Mihran Kalaydjian, president of the Winnetka Neighborhood Council, speaking in his personal capacity. “That is a three time increase, and especially (when) we never received any financial information, or how they would increase.”

He said the city failed to properly communicate with Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils, Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates and the communities about the fee increase proposal, and provided only one brief statement about the increase a few months ago without any follow-up information.

Kalaydjian added: “ We are facing a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. How the Los Angeles elected officials are trying to come up with a true formula for weathering these difficult financial times, and how they’re trying to charge more for city services? It’s unclear and confusing.”

Mares agreed. He said the city should have done more outreach to clearly explain the proposed trash fee rates. He recalled the city sent out a survey by mail a few months ago that asked residents whether they supported or opposed the proposed changes, and the survey asked for their thoughts on sanitation services.

“I don’t think that was enough,” he said. “I think there should have been more outreach, more informational sessions in communities to let them know that the city was proposing to raise their collection fees for trash.”

Currently, the city charges one rate for single-family homes and duplexes, and a lower rate for larger multi-family properties. But city staff say it now costs about the same to collect trash from all types of homes. As a result, everyone will pay the same monthly rate under the new plan.

The new rates are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, with smaller increases in the four years after that.