["Let Inga Tell You," La Jolla Light, published July 6, 2026] 2026
I swore I wasn't going to write about trash fees again but the City just can't seem to stop making a mess of this, which as a writer, I feel compelled to point out. So here is a few feature: Ask Inga: As the trash fee debacle turns.
Dear Inga: So what finally happened with that law suit about the new trash fees?
Answer: Trash fees will be rolled back to $38.75 a month starting in July, 2027 (when they were scheduled to increase to $55) but not rolled back to the $23-$29 range the constituents had been duped into voting for in Measure B ( Bait and Switch ). Of course, if you ordered extra bins, your cost will be higher than $38.75.
Dear Inga: So we should be getting a refund of the inflated fees we were already charged on our property tax bills, right?
Answer: What a sweet question. Of course not.
Dear Inga: As part of Measure B, we were promised that recycling would become weekly instead of bi-weekly, so when we ordered our new sensored pay-in-perpetuity bins, many of us ordered a much smaller recycle bin than we had before or only one recycle bin when we used to have two. But even though the new bins have (mostly) been delivered, recycling is still bi-weekly. So when is the weekly recycling going to start?
Answer: It is one of the best kept secrets in San Diego.
Dear Inga: Surely someone knows the answer to this? Like the Environmental Services (ES) people?
Answer: Sure! Their (human) reply was:
Thank you for contacting the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department.
In the City of San Diego, recycling pickup is still on a bi‑weekly (every other week) schedule. While weekly recycling service had been planned in the past, city officials decided to defer that rollout to a later date. As a result, the every‑other‑week schedule remains in effect for now.
I know this can be inconvenient, especially for households that generate more recycling, but at this time the city has not implemented weekly pickup.
Dear Inga: But isn't this yet another bait and switch?
Answer: Sure sounds like it!
Dear Inga: But it was part of what we voted for and made bin choices on the basis of it! Surely the City Council knows when weekly recycling will start since they were the ones who made the decision to resolve the lawsuit by reducing the fees?
Answer: (Thank you for prompt response from assistant at Joe LaCava s office):
The City approved a settlement that will reduce the waste collection fee in the City to approximately $39 effective July 1st 2027, in one year. My understanding is that to reduce the City's cost of delivering waste collection, options like maintaining the bi-weekly recycling pickup are being explored.
Dear Inga: Uh-oh. Those passive voice replies from both ES and Joe LaCava's office are always suspicious. For example, active voice is: "We made mistakes." Passive voice: "Mistakes were made." Seems like a good grammatical ploy not to answer a question.
Answer: Yup!
Dear Inga: Does this mean that the promised curbside bulky item pickup program is going by the wayside too?
Answer (from assistant at Joe LaCava s office): Yes, my understanding is that bulky item pickup is also under consideration not to be implemented.
Dear Inga: Yowsers. That dang passive voice again. So if Joe LaCava's office and ES were to answer in the active voice, what would that sound like?
Answer: There is no way on God s green earth you will ever see weekly recycling or curbside bulky item pickup.
Dear Inga: The City has hired lid lifters at $70,000 a year to open people's trash/greenery/recycle bins to make sure they are not putting the wrong stuff in each bin. They will leave a notice, or even potentially issue a fine. But now ES customers may be forced to put a weeks worth of recyclables in their gray trash bin every week since there is still only bi-weekly recycling.
Answer: Yes, that math would be correct.
Dear Inga: So what are people supposed to do with all the recycling they can't fit into their new smaller bin?
Answer: People on Next Door suggest querying your neighbors to see if they have extra space in their also-now-too-small bin.
Dear Inga: You're kidding, right? I hate my neighbors.
Answer: Life is hard, and then you die.
Dear Inga - It sounds like weekly recycling isn't likely to ever be implemented so there will be a number of people who will need a second (or bigger) recycling bin. How would they do that?
Answer: both Joe LaCavas office (6/22/26) and ES say you can call ES at 858-694-7000 or go to this website.
https://wasteportal.sandiego.gov/
Dear Inga: What are the scanner tags on the new bins?
Answer: According to the ES website, these are scannable reader tags known as RFID technology which identify the bins assigned to your household. This prevents your dirtbag neighbors from stealing your bins so they don't have to pay for their own.
Dear Inga: While we're on the subject of Best Kept Secrets, what exactly is happening with the at-least 750,000 plastic bins that were replaced at a cost of $65 million with the new trash and recycle bins? Do we really want to know?
Answer: The official story is: San Diego s retired trash bins are being chipped, cleaned, and repurposed into new bins and other plastic products.
Dear Inga: Do we believe this?
Answer: Not sure. But better than being sent on a slow boat to China. Or incinerated in a distant location with less pricey zip codes and already-bad air quality.
Dear Inga: Should we believe anything the City of San Diego puts on a ballot ever again?
Answer: Inga only answers legitimate questions.
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