At the May 27, 2025 City Council meeting, the Santa Clara City Council approved Resolution 25-9446 setting solid waste rates for fiscal year 2025-2026. The approved rates generate revenues to cover solid waste programs, which include garbage collection, processing and disposal, yard trimmings collection and processing, recyclables collection and processing, the Annual Cleanup Campaign, street sweeping, and other solid waste program overhead and functions. These rates also fund landfill post-closure maintenance and monitoring and financial system Capital Improvement projects.

About the Approved Rate Adjustments

• Compliance with existing and new State regulations -
  • Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Regulations required by SB 1383 to minimize the amount of organic material disposed in landfills
  • AB 1826 which requires mandatory organics recycling
  • AB 341 which requires mandatory commercial recycling and establishes a statewide recycling rate of 75 percent
• Rising costs
  • Contractually obligated annual compensation adjustments paid to the City's solid waste contractors: Mission Trail Waste Systems, GreenWaste Recovery, Inc., and Recology South Bay.
  • New state law (SB 1383) requires that 75% of organics (food, pizza boxes, etc.) be recycled, which is much more expensive.
  • New overseas recycling restrictions have driven up costs nationwide.
  • 63% of residents who responded to City survey preferred “mixed-waste processing” meaning residents won’t have to separate their own garbage.
  • Former garbage rates were not an option due to expiring garbage contracts and meeting new requirements.