SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Among other rate increases from Liberty Utilities and Southwest Gas, the city of South Lake Tahoe announced a proposed rate increase for solid waste collection. The city is part of the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) called the South Lake Tahoe Basin Waste Management Authority and will be holding a public meeting to consider these adjustments on December 10 at 5:30 p.m.

South Lake Tahoe’s waste is collected by South Tahoe Refuse (STR), which the city maintains a solid waste franchise agreement with—and reportedly, the costs of collection and processing have gone up. The JPA, which is made up of the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, and Douglas County, reviews the proposed collection rates on a regular basis. A base adjustment is made every three years, though rate increases can also happen during interim years. Since 2014, there has been a rate increase every year. The most recent one was an 11.05% rate increase for the city in 2024.

STR submitted its application for rate year 2025 on July 11, 2024, to be reviewed by the JPA, citing a 4.09% increase in landfill disposal costs by 2025. For the city, that translates to an increase of 3.30%, not including the rate increase for Senate Bill 1383.

SB 1383 was created and enacted to reduce organics waste landfill disposal, which contributes up to 20% of methane emissions. Organics includes green waste, food waste, paper, and cardboard. Instead of throwing organics waste away and letting it rot, SB 1383 helps recover 20% of for food-insecure Californians and composts the rest of it.

These changes help protect and preserve the environment, but have their own associated costs. For example, SB 1383 was one of the reasons the city established the three-cart waste management system.

According to the analysis documents on the rate increase performed by Crowe LLP, residential customers currently pay $41.26 per month and with the increase, would pay $44.72 per month, not including city surcharges for street sweeping and nuisance abatement. For commercial customers, they currently pay $47.20 per cubic yard of waste per month. With the increase, they would pay $51.16 per cubic yard of waste per month.

Sara Letton, the sustainability coordinator at the City of South Lake Tahoe, said, “Last year’s base rate public hearing saw 62 protests. We expect something similar this year.”

The next base year rate adjustment will happen in 2027, but this interim year’s increase is open for comment until the end of the public meeting on December 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the City of South Lake Tahoe City Council Chambers located at 1901 Lisa Maloff Way. If unable to attend, written protest can be filed, but must be mailed to the City Clerk at that address before the end of the public meeting.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.