Huntington Beach council approves new trash contract, phases in residential rate increase to comply with state organics law

Huntington Beach City Council voted to authorize a 10‑year Waste Infrastructure System Enterprise (WISE) agreement with Orange County and to approve a franchise amendment with Republic (Rainbow Disposal) so the city can implement state‑mandated organics recycling under SB 1383.

The council also adopted a three‑year, phased increase in residential refuse rates that staff said is needed to fund expanded organics collection, edible‑food recovery and higher landfill disposal costs. Public works staff and consultant HF&H told the council the county landfill agreement includes an 85% increase in disposal rates that the WISE contract phases in over three years; staff proposed a total residential customer impact of $7.58 per month phased as $3.54 on July 1, 2026, $2.68 on July 1, 2027, and $1.46 on July 1, 2028.

Why it matters: SB 1383 (state organics law) requires jurisdictions to implement food‑waste and organics programs or face enforcement by CalRecycle. Staff said the franchise amendment adds necessary service language and performance metrics, and the WISE agreement guarantees county landfill capacity at a predictable rate.

What officials said: Public works director Chao Vu and senior analyst Deborah Jovinski described the service additions — residential organics carts, commercial organics and edible‑food recovery — plus contract provisions such as performance monitoring and a labor‑contingency plan. Consultant Haley Kiernert said the program includes outreach, contamination monitoring and procurement of recovered organic products. Republic Services’ municipal representative said trucks already have hopper cameras for safety and contamination monitoring and that commercial contamination fees and remediation processes exist.

Public reaction: Staff reported 326 valid written protests – under 1% of the roughly 46,513 affected properties — far short of the majority‑protest threshold. One resident who spoke said he opposed the fee increase even as he supported the program; several council members noted protections for seniors (a 50% discount for qualifying residents 62 and older) and emphasized that the alternative to approval would be a roughly $300,000 monthly general‑fund subsidy (about $3.6 million a year) to keep refuse services balanced.

How the council voted: The council approved the WISE agreement and the franchise ordinance introduction (clerks recorded a final tabulation as the motion passing with four yes, one no and two abstentions on those items). The residential rate resolution (Resolution 2026‑11) was adopted after the public hearing on the rates by a 4–3 vote.

Next steps: Staff will implement the education and rollout phases beginning June 2026, distribute organics carts starting July 1, 2026, and begin auto‑enrollment and commercial programs in January 2027 per the timeline presented. The council will receive follow‑up compliance and implementation reports as the city moves toward full SB 1383 compliance.