The Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday authorized a rate increase for its commercial and residential waste-management services, which is associated with cost increases due to the closure of Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
The increase was approved 4-0 with Councilman Jason Gibbs absent from the meeting. He indicated Wednesday by phone he had to be at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Chiquita abruptly stopped accepting waste Jan. 1, which prompted Burrtec, the city’s contractual waste-hauler, to find an alternate site for the city’s trash, in Sun Valley, according to city officials.
“When delivering waste to Chiquita, Burrtec was required to pay $37.50 per ton for disposal,” according to the city. “The disposal cost at each of the viable alternative sites was over $90 per ton.”
In order to pay for the difference in cost for trash transportation and disposal rates, the City Council approved a rate hike that comes out to $7.52 per month for the standard residential user who has 96-gallon “trash carts” — for a new total monthly charge of $37.39.
The increases were described as being 14% to 25% for residential customers and 6% to 25% for commercial ratepayers, which changes based on container size and frequency.
The rate also is intended to cover the cost increases Burrtec has assumed since Jan. 1, according to the city’s agenda.
Burrtec made the request Jan. 15, according to the report prepared by Darin Seegmiller of the city’s Neighborhood Services Department. Burrtec also justified the new fees in a report requesting the increase.
The city’s current agreement with Burrtec expires in 2033, and the waste-hauler expects to be able to make up its difference with the rate increase through the life of the contract.
Burrtec also requested fees for extra carts. The new rate for an extra cart went up $1.62 per month. The commercial rate for a 3-cubic-yard bin picked up weekly is going up nearly $21 per month.
“Chiquita, formerly the second-largest active landfill in Los Angeles County, served as the city’s designated disposal facility for waste,” according to Seegmiller’s report. “In anticipation of its closure, and in response to ongoing operational disruptions, Burrtec began exploring alternative disposal options in 2024.”
While the city’s agenda mentions the potential for the landfill reopening, Chiquita Canyon Landfill officials, when asked, said there were no plans to reopen the facility.
The elevated temperature landfill event is expected to be an issue for years despite a number of efforts from the facility to stem the smell.
