Sharp rise coming in Modesto garbage rates. How to feel better about it

No one wants to pay more for garbage service.

But almost everyone in California is doing just that, to comply with state law requiring more separation of green waste and recyclables from other refuse heading to landfills.

Most cities and counties already have faced the music and made changes, including sharp increases to garbage bills. Next week is Modesto’s turn.

Those who tune in to watch, or who go down to City Hall for the 5:30 p.m. June 14 meeting, are sure to hear well-founded complaints from or about people with low or fixed incomes who really can’t afford to pay more for a basic service. They’re right; this garbage change really stinks.

But it’s reality, it’s state law, it’s here and no amount of brow-beating sympathetic Modesto City Council members will make any difference. Their hands are tied.

Stanislaus County supervisors heard the same heartfelt protests from some of their fee-weary residents in December. So did leaders of most cities here and elsewhere in the Golden State. Most got in line with the law, known as Senate Bill 1383, by the Jan. 1 deadline; Modesto is late to the game, but won’t be penalized because of a generous grace period.

If the Modesto council sticks with a screening committee’s recommendation, everyone will get three bins. People would use one for green waste like grass clippings, pruned limbs and fruit and veggie scraps; one for recycling cans, bottles, plastic and such; and one for everything else. Your garbage hauler will provide the extra bins, and you will pay more because the hauler has to send more trucks through your neighborhood.

How much more will Modestans pay?

The typical $37.45 monthly rate would jump to $45.85 in July, and to $51.25 in January, for a total increase of 37%.

Yes, it’s a lot.

But there is another viewpoint.

Looking on the brighter side

First, it might help to feel you’re doing your part to help the planet. Reducing landfill waste really does help the environment, including cutting down on methane gas contributing to climate change. Modesto has been a leader in this regard since 1997, when garbage companies began hauling waste from peoples’ green bins to a compost facility. Unfortunately, it’s also true that green-can contamination averages an unacceptable 45%.

Second, the city went to the trouble of asking people which options they most support: two cans or three? Should haulers pick up green waste and recycling less frequently, reducing garbage bills a little?

Getting 872 responses in any survey is a triumph, and that’s what Modesto got. Of those, a majority preferred three cans (75%) and every-other-week service for both green waste and recycling (54%). The second option will shave $3 off monthly bills, because haulers won’t have to send trucks through neighborhoods as frequently.

Third, the city will offer discounts to seniors and people with low income, and will allow neighbors to share bins for the price of one, if they fill out a form.

For perspective, the county did not survey residents of unincorporated areas to find out what they want. The county does not provide every-other-week flexibility for green waste, and offers no discounts to seniors or low-income residents, although options are under review, an official said.

Fourth, Modesto calls this a one-year pilot, leaving room for adjustments once they see what works and what doesn’t.

Lastly, it’s nice to see Modesto getting serious again about recycling. Some will remember Ecology Action pioneering the country’s first volunteer curbside recycling in Modesto in 1973, a point of pride until the city’s much-mocked blue-bag experiment. Having a third bin dedicated to recycling is like going back to our proud roots.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 11:45 AM.