Council signs on to Orange County waste infrastructure agreement to lock landfill capacity; customers likely to face higher disposal costs

The council authorized Costa Mesa to enter a county‑negotiated waste disposal agreement (referred to by staff as the WISE agreement) that secures landfill capacity for Orange County jurisdictions while phasing in higher landfill gate rates over the next three years.

Staff described the agreement as a negotiated response to an expected change in landfill availability. One Orange County landfill is near closure and remaining local landfills require staged expansion and infrastructure upgrades to accept additional tonnage. To fund those expansions, the county board approved a rate schedule that increases the gate fee for in‑county disposal; jurisdictions that sign the agreement receive the negotiated phased rates rather than immediately paying the higher non‑contract rate.

Under the approved schedule, the negotiated in‑county rate begins at about $67 per ton in July 2026 and phases up to a base around $81 per ton plus CPI in subsequent years. If the city chose not to enter the county agreement, haulers using in‑county disposal would face a non‑contract gate rate starting near $92.70 per ton. Staff told the council the difference would be passed through by private haulers to commercial and multifamily customers and likely raise some customer bills by an estimated 16% for commercial accounts; single‑family residents served under contracts that cap annual increases (for example city facility contracts capped at 2% per year) will be less immediately affected but could see later impacts as contracts renew.

Council members asked about how the county derived the rate, whether shipping waste out of county could be cheaper, and the risk of illegal dumping. Staff explained the county’s rates are intended to cover the build‑out and operation of expanded landfill capacity, gate booth upgrades and related infrastructure, and that exporting waste out of county would not likely be cheaper after transport costs. The council approved joining the agreement, noting broad countywide coordination and the downside of defaulting to the non‑contract rate if the city did not participate.

Staff will coordinate outreach with haulers and Costa Mesa Sanitary District to notify commercial customers and multifamily property managers of likely impacts; the sanitary district will run a Prop 218 process for its customers as required.