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Fullerton approves one‑year extension of county waste disposal agreement while cities review steep proposed landfill rate hike
Summary
Council approved a one‑year extension of the Orange County Waste Disposal Agreement (WDA) with a 2.6% CPI pass‑through through June 30, 2026, allowing time for a technical committee to review the county's proposed Waste Infrastructure System Enhancement (WISE) plan that would increase landfill disposal from about $42.65 to $82 per ton.
Fullerton — The Fullerton City Council on April 15 approved a one‑year extension to the city's Waste Disposal Agreement (WDA) with Orange County to provide time to review a proposed successor plan, WISE, that staff said could more than double landfill disposal costs.
Recycling specialist Michelle Duron and staff outlined the amendment and the county’s proposed successor agreement, called WISE. Staff said the second amendment extends the existing WDA by one year and would include a 2.6% CPI increase applied to disposal rates through June 30, 2026. Staff briefed the council that the county's proposed WISE framework would raise landfill disposal from $42.65 per ton to roughly $82 per ton — a 92.3% proposed increase — and would allocate capital expenditures for landfill infrastructure.
Staff recommended the one‑year extension so cities and sanitary districts would have time to review the WISE agreement’s costs, infrastructure plans and proposed fee adjustments. The Orange County City Managers Association formed a committee and a technical subcommittee to scrutinize the proposal; staff told the council that committee expected to provide answers by Sept. 30 and begin sharing updates in October. Republic Services’ contract for hauling/disposal is scheduled to end on June 30, 2027; staff said an RFP process will begin in preparation for that contract replacement.
Councilmembers asked how the increase would translate to household bills and whether apartment residents would see similar changes. Staff said the 2.6% extension is limited to the landfill cost component (roughly 25%–40% of a typical customer bill) and that the city can provide more concrete dollar estimates once the committee completes its review. Staff did not provide a specific dollar figure for an average household at the meeting and said they would supply those estimates at a later date.
Councilmember Zara moved to approve the one‑year extension; Councilmember Valencia seconded. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote (ayes recorded from Councilmembers Dunlap, Valencia, Zara, Mayor Pro Tem Charles and Mayor Zhang).
By approving the extension, the council gave staff and the intercity technical committee time to investigate whether the WISE proposal’s near‑term rate impacts are justified and to identify mitigation options for residents and businesses when those numbers are finalized.
