Some Mission Beach residents are clamoring for the City to begin the second summer trash pickup to combat fly infestation sooner than July 1.

Since July 2018, the City has increased trash, recycling, and street-sweeping services in Mission Beach to twice weekly starting July 1. Then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer granted Mission Beach a second trash pickup from early July to the end of September to fight the flies. The second trash pickup happened every Saturday on top of the normal weekly trash pickup each Tuesday.

The additional summer trash pickup has been done to proactively address fly infestations that have been a perennial problem during the summer months. Trash pickup up the rest of the year is handled once a week.

But some residents are arguing that this needs to be improved upon.

“The last three years, City Council would wait until the new budget year to fund the second trash pickup starting July 1, which allows the flies to multiply in June and the rest of the summer,” argues South Mission Beach resident Mike Meyer. He added: “The plan was to charge the 1,000 short-term rentals (in MB) for the second trash pickup. Why can’t the City charge $30 a month for three months and start before Memorial Day?”

Meyer said the initial response he received from the City on his proposed summer trash-pickup change was that it would be too costly, $50,000 for the three months of a second pickup.

Meyer questioned that conclusion arguing, “They (City) collect TOT (Transit Occupancy Taxes) on all these rentals. A typical three-bedroom condo on the oceanfront is $4,000 per week. That is $400 per week in TOT. In just 10 weeks, that is $4,000 per condo in income. Just 13 condos pay for the pickup during the summer.”

Meyer added he was told last summer that the City would start billing short-term rental properties this year for Mission Beach’s second summer trash pickup now that they have the names and addresses of Mission Beach’s short-term rental businesses and could collect the fees.

Responding, City senior spokesperson Kelly Terry said: “The City Council budget currently includes proposed funding for 12 weeks of two day/week collection for City-serviced properties in Mission Beach. The City does not set franchise hauler rates or collection intervals, and the state requires the collection of solid waste at least once every seven days. If the City were to begin the 12 weeks of budgeted collection earlier than July 8, 2023, the program would end earlier. The selected 12-week period applies during the hottest months of the year.”

Concerning the prospect of the City charging $30 a month for three months starting before Memorial Day, Terry said: “For franchise hauler-serviced properties, service levels can be changed by contacting the hauler and paying the associated cost charged by the hauler. The City does not set the rates for franchise hauler services. At this time the City does not charge city-serviced properties for any costs associated with collection services. As the City pursues a cost-of-service study resulting from the passing of Measure B, a robust stakeholder process will be conducted and the City encourages ideas from residents and constituents around service levels, new services, etc.”

Terry noted the law requires the owner or tenant of any premises, business establishment, or industry to be responsible for the satisfactory removal of all refuse accumulated by them on their property or premises. “To prevent propagation, harborage, or attraction of flies, rodents or other vectors and the creation of nuisances, refuse, except for inert materials, shall not be allowed to remain on the premises for more than seven days, except when: disruptions due to strikes occur; or severe weather conditions or ‘Acts of God’ make collection impossible using normal collection equipment; or official holidays interrupt the normal seven-day collection cycle, in which case collection may be postponed until the next working day. Where it is deemed necessary by the local health officer because of the propagation of vectors and for the protection of public health, more frequent removal of refuse shall be required.”

There are numerous things Mission Beach residents can do to help prevent summer fly infestations including:
– Placing waste containers in the street or alley at the point of collection no later than 6 a.m. on collection days;
– Taking in trash bins immediately on trash collection days;
– Parking in legal spaces only (no alley parking) to allow room for trash and recycling collection and street-sweeping vehicles;
– Using trash can and trash bin liners to prevent the need for washing bins;
– Keeping waste container lids closed so flies cannot access food sources to lay eggs;

– Replacing broken containers and/or cracked container lids;
– Washing trash and recycling containers to keep the bottoms and sides free of food sources for fly eggs.

– Providing a sufficient number of containers to fully contain waste generated each week;
– Bagging and sealing trash so flies cannot lay their eggs on food sources;
– Spraying the outside of the lid and top of containers with bleach to deter flies from landing on those surfaces;
– Keeping containers in cool dark locations away from bright sunlight;

– Sweeping trash can and trash bin areas frequently;