The Seal Beach City Council on April 28 approved the second amendment to the trash disposal agreement with Orange County.
The vote was unanimous.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion. Nothing was pulled from this week’s Consent Calendar.
Background
“Solid waste disposal at Orange County (County) landfills is governed by a Waste Disposal Agreement (WDA) under which cities and sanitary districts agree to exclusively deposit certain waste at the County’s landfills in exchange for low and stable disposal rates,” according to the staff report prepared by Management Analyst Lauren Barich.
“The current WDA was entered into in 2009 and subsequently amended to extend the term through June 30, 2025,” Barich wrote.
“In January 2022, Orange County Waste & Recycling (OCW&R) notified cities of its intent to revise the WDA to align with legislative requirements such as Senate Bill 1383, which requires local governments to divert organic waste, such as food scraps and landscaping waste, away from the landfills. OCW&R presented a proposed successor agreement to the WDA, titled the Waste Infrastructure System Enhancement (WISE) agreement, in November 2024,” Barich wrote.
“The WISE agreement proposed increasing the landfill disposal rate from $42.65 to $82 per ton (a 92.3% increase). It also proposed a rebate program for composted organic waste and an allocation of capital expenditures for organics recycling infrastructure at County landfills,” Barich wrote.
“The Orange County City Manager Association (OCCMA) formed a committee in December 2024 to negotiate the WISE agreement terms and requested an extension of the current WDA to allow time for such negotiations,” Barich wrote.
“OCW&R has agreed to the OCCMA’s proposed amendment (Second Amendment), which provides a 12-month extended term under the current WDA and a 2.6% disposal fee increase, per the escalation formula in the current WDA. The extended term will allow stakeholders to conduct due diligence on a successor agreement to the WDA as well as evaluate costs, infrastructure plans, and future fee adjustments,” Barich wrote.
“The City finds that executing the Second Amendment is in the public interest since it will ensure stable disposal rates and collaboration between all cities/sanitary districts in Orange County for an additional year,” Barich wrote.
Cost
“The extended term contract rate of $43.76 per ton will be effective on July 1, 2025. This represents a 2.6% increase from the current rate of $42.65 and is consistent with the current Agreement terms. It will be reflected as a pass-through rate for the solid waste collection accounts. Appropriations and revenues will be included in the proposed FY 2025-2026 budget,” Barich wrote.
