San Joaquin County residents and businesses will soon be paying less in solid waste fees.
In a unanimous decision at its Tuesday meeting, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted to reduce the pre-sort gate fee rate at one county-owned solid waste facility and establish new pre-sort rates at two others.
The resolution sets new per-ton disposal fees for pre-sorted waste at the North County Recycling Center and Sanitary Landfill, Foothill Sanitary Landfill, and Lovelace Materials Recovery Facility and Transfer Station. Effective Jan. 1, the rates will be $40.64 per ton at North County and Foothill, and $67.03 per ton at Lovelace.
“We’ve been talking a lot of trash lately, but it’s pretty amazing, because you never see rates go down,” said Chair Paul Canepa. “So I want to commend the public works department for what you’re doing with $2 million savings. Usually we don’t give money back. Usually we raise rates. So for me, it’s an exciting day, not only for people, the taxpayers.”
The changes represent reductions of 18% at North County (from an existing $49.76 per ton) and 12% at Foothill and Lovelace (from $46.14 and $76.15 per ton, respectively, which were previously non-sorted rates). The adjustments, which stem from operational efficiencies, aim to pass along approximately $2.4 million in annual cost savings to the community.
The proposal goes back to regulatory and operational shifts in the county’s waste management system. In 1992, the board implemented a two-tier fee structure at North County to encourage pre-sorting of recyclables before delivery, which reduced processing costs at the facility. Senate Bill 1383, which went into effect in 2022, mandated source separation of waste into organics, recyclables and refuse by generators — meaning most loads arriving at county facilities are now pre-sorted.
“Fast forward to today, and SB 1383 now requires waste to be separated at the source,” David Tolliver, deputy director of public works, said during a presentation to the board. “That means most of the material arriving at our facilities is already pre-sorted. Given these changes, it makes sense to apply a pre-sort gate fee rate structure at Foothill landfill and Lovelace transfer station.”
A key driver for the rate cuts was the board’s April decision to terminate the operating contract with Foothill, Inc., ahead of schedule, transitioning landfill operations to county management. This shift is projected to save $2.4 million annually, offsetting revenue loss from lower fees.
Public Works Director Fritz Buchman emphasized the community benefits, noting that the changes align with the board’s strategic priority to “maintain fiscal responsibility and promote organizational innovation.”
Residential hauler contracts in unincorporated areas require the savings to be passed on to customers, resulting in an average 5% reduction in monthly bills.
For example, in three areas served by Waste Management at North County, a 96-gallon cart rate will drop from $63.94 to $60.94 per month, a 4.69% savings affecting 3,274 customers. Similar reductions apply across other areas, with total annual savings estimated at $803,961 countywide, or 5.01% of existing residential revenue.
Incorporated cities may see benefits if their hauler agreements mandate pass-throughs, while commercial customers could negotiate lower rates due to reduced hauler costs.
“Lower gate fee rates will put downward pressure on commercial hauler rates, as well,” Tolliver said.