San Diego\u2019s chaotic shift in city trash service has begun to stabilize, with more customers signing up for new bins and more of the roughly 19,000 property owners who lost city service managing to strike deals with private haulers.<\/p>\n
But many thousands of customers remain in flux, and the city faces millions in financial losses from the earlier turbulence and because a greater number of people than expected are choosing discounted service.<\/p>\n
The city began the monthslong process of delivering new trash and recycling bins this week, just as many city trash customers got property tax bills showing their first-ever trash charge of $261.60 for six months.<\/p>\n
City officials say they\u2019re also close to finalizing a subsidy program that will give discounts of at least 50% to roughly 8,000 property owners who meet income-eligibility criteria.<\/p>\n
Despite significant recent progress, 5,259 of the 19,282 property owners who lost city service \u2014 more than a quarter \u2014 have not yet secured new service from one of the city\u2019s contracted private haulers.<\/p>\n
City officials say $200 fines could soon be levied against those properties in an effort to spur them to make deals. Warning letters will be sent out next week giving them 30 days to make a deal.<\/p>\n
A second letter will then be sent, and fines will be levied 14 days after that if the property owners haven\u2019t submitted proof of new service. Property owners could be subject to additional fines every two weeks.<\/p>\n
But Jeremy Bauer, assistant director of the city\u2019s Environmental Services Department, said city officials are hopeful that the number of fines issued will be minimal.<\/p>\n
Since the city incentivized the private haulers to offer better deals by softening some recycling requirements, the pace\u00a0of customers securing new service has accelerated, Bauer said.<\/p>\n
The number of customers with new service is now about 73%, well above the city\u2019s goal of 60% by Oct. 31 and ahead of pace for a second city goal of 80% by Dec. 15.<\/p>\n
Bauer also said he thinks the number of property owners who haven\u2019t yet secured service is lower than the official number of 5,259, suggesting some\u00a0have secured service but haven\u2019t yet submitted proof.<\/p>\n
The progress comes after months of chaos when property owners and homeowners associations were either getting offered rates far higher than expected or getting rejected outright by haulers who said they lacked enough trucks and workers to take on new customers.<\/p>\n
Property owners have been trying to get discounts with tactics like\u00a0switching from individual cans to dumpsters, making changes to their organic recycling or teaming with nearby properties to lure haulers with better economies of scale.<\/p>\n