San Diego's new trash fee is underperforming projections. According to Voice of San Diego, some residents are returning their extra cans, and others are opting for smaller service tiers. The city expected more revenue. It's getting less.
That math tells a reasonable story on its own. People are making economic decisions about what trash service they pay for. Fair enough. The harder question is what happens to material that no longer fits the smaller bin — and whether it ends up at a legal facility or somewhere it shouldn't.
East County sees this pattern play out in canyons and alleys. In Lemon Grove, La Mesa, El Cajon, and Santee, when household or jobsite waste gets squeezed out of normal collection, it tends to find the path of least resistance. Sometimes that path ends at a storm drain. Sometimes it ends in a canyon. Neither is acceptable.
There's a concurrent problem on the infrastructure side. Voice of San Diego also reports that a key wastewater pump at the U.S.-Mexico border — which has broken repeatedly — is finally scheduled for rehabilitation over the next 18 months. That's good news, but it's a reminder of what neglected systems cost: years of contamination that could have been avoided. Waste infrastructure, public and private, requires discipline to maintain.
Separately, CalRecycle's Earth Day summary documented real statewide progress on diversion and recycling — but that progress depends on people and businesses actually using legal channels. The system only works when the material goes where it's supposed to go. Trimming your trash bill and then dumping the difference off a Santee fire road doesn't save money — it shifts the cost onto everyone else.
If your household or jobsite is generating more material than your current service level handles, there are legal options. Transfer stations, permitted haulers, and facilities that accept construction debris, green waste, and bulky items exist precisely for this. Use them. Ask what happens to the load. Keep a record when the job calls for it.
What to do with your next load
- If you've downsized your city trash service, make sure the volume reduction is real — not just relocated to a curb, alley, or canyon.
- For remodel and landscaping debris that won't fit standard pickup, contact a permitted hauler or drop it at a legal transfer station in San Diego County.
- Ask your hauler what facility receives the load — a licensed operator will answer that question directly.
- Property managers in Chula Vista, El Cajon, and La Mesa: check that tenants have adequate service before downsizing bins on cost grounds alone.
- Keep disposal receipts for any contractor job — they protect you if illegal dumping is later discovered near a worksite.