Imperial County Board approves mandatory trash collection and rate hikes
Lynette Niebla
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Last month, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved a new solid waste rate and collection system for unincorporated areas to comply with California’s Organic Waste Reduction Law, aka Senate Bill (SB) 1383.
Effective July 1, the county will transition to a mandatory three-container system, replacing the long-standing reliance on self-hauling to local landfills.
Residents will receive 96-gallon bins color-coded for household trash (black), recycling (blue), and organic waste (green).
The service will cost residents approximately $26.51 per month. The fee, totaling roughly $320 per year, will be billed annually on the county property tax roll. Under the new mandate, no residential waivers are permitted.
Commercial businesses will also be required to use the three-bin system, with service levels tailored to their specific needs and billed monthly by the hauler.
Unlike residential users, commercial entities may apply for certain waivers if they meet specific state criteria.
While the deadline to implement SB 1383 passed in 2022, Imperial County has operated under a series of extensions.
With those extensions set to expire, the Board moved forward to bring the county into compliance and avoid potential state-mandated penalties.