La Habra Heights council ratifies temporary garbage-rate rise and selects Ware Disposal for 10-year franchise

The La Habra Heights City Council on Aug. 12 ratified a temporary 10% increase to solid-waste rates and voted to select Ware Disposal as the city’s new franchise hauler.

Special counsel Patrick Munoz told the council the city’s contract with Republic Services expired in May 2024 and the city had been operating on extensions. Republic agreed to continue service only through Oct. 1 if the council ratified a 10% “extraordinary cost” increase for the July 1–Oct. 1 period instead of the usual CPI adjustment. “They asked for a 10% increase to cover some of the costs that they're incurring that were not covered under the terms of the agreement,” Munoz said.

Following that ratification, the council considered selection of a new franchise. Staff described a process that began with six potential vendors and narrowed to three proposals from EDCO Disposal, Valley Vista Services and Ware Disposal. City staff and the council subcommittee recommended Ware Disposal as offering the lowest price and the best overall value, including commitments to carry over services such as Christmas-tree recycling, bulky-item pickup and quarterly cleanups.

Jay Ware, general manager of Ware Disposal, told the council the company operates more than 250 trucks across Southern California and pledged to make the fall transition “seamless.” He introduced members of his operations and customer-service team who, he said, would support the city.

Councilmember (maker of the motion) moved to select Ware Disposal to enter a 10‑year franchise agreement beginning Oct. 1, 2024, with two one‑year extension options and directed the city attorney to draft the final franchise for council approval. The motion passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.

Staff previewed key contract provisions to be returned for formal approval: a base residential rate of $32.98 per month, elimination of separate borough-service charges (so some residents will pay only the base rate), an option for carryout/scout service for properties with long or steep driveways (a quoted carryout charge of approximately $54.44), and a 10% senior/disabled discount for customers who can use smaller containers. Staff said the franchise will include required reporting and route-auditing work to comply with California’s SB 1383 organic‑waste rules; the city noted potential penalties of up to $10,000 per day for noncompliance once current waivers expire.

The council directed staff to return the full franchise agreement for final approval and implementation steps ahead of the Oct. 2024 changeover.