High rates and underused services undermine Oakland’s fight against illegal dumping

This reporting was made possible through a partnership with Oakland Voices and the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.

Oakland residents pay higher trash-hauling rates than most nearby communities served by the same waste company. City auditors found that some free disposal services are underused and dozens of dumpsters available through the city’s waste contract went unused last year.

Oakland’s single-family curbside hauling rates are 23% to 40% higher than the average among nearby jurisdictions served by Waste Management of Alameda County Inc. (WMAC), depending on the container size, according to a city audit. 

Oaklanders currently pay at least $53.36 every month for curbside collection. Minimum rates are $38.68 in Hayward, $23.32 in unincorporated San Lorenzo, and $15.80 in Emeryville. Albany is the jurisdiction that pays a higher minimum rate, at $59.17. 

“The City of Oakland recognizes affordability is a factor contributing to illegal dumping. When lawful disposal options are difficult to access or too costly, some residents may turn to illegal dumping.”

Rebecca Kaplan, illegal dumping project manager, City of Oakland

‘It’s too expensive to dump legally’

“People are dumping illegally because it’s too expensive to dump legally,” Councilmember Zac Unger said. “We’re trying to negotiate the contract with Waste Management. It sure is a bad contract. I would hate to wait until 2030 [to amend it]. Because the rates are so high, they buy the smallest cans and when it overflows they dump it on the street.”

In September 2025, the City Administrator’s Office hired former at-large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan as a project manager to perform policy research on illegal dumping and blight. 

“The City of Oakland recognizes affordability is a factor contributing to illegal dumping,” Kaplan said. “When lawful disposal options are difficult to access or too costly, some residents may turn to illegal dumping.” 

Auditor raises concern about rate lacks transparency

Oakland’s waste-hauling rates are governed by its franchise agreement with WMAC, which is set to expire in 2030 after a five-year extension approved in 2025.

The contract allows Oakland and WMAC to negotiate amendments before it expires if both parties agree. 

“While the City cannot unilaterally impose changes on the waste-service provider under the current contract, we are negotiating with the provider for potential adjustments,” Kaplan said. 

WMAC and Oakland are also involved in pending litigation over the contract. 

“There’s not really any rate transparency within the Oakland contract, our contract, with waste management.”

Paula Kaltenbrunner, Performance Auditor, City of Oakland

Auditors also raised questions about how Oakland’s waste rates are calculated. 

“There’s not really any rate transparency within the Oakland contract, our contract, with Waste Management,” Oakland performance auditor Paula Kaltenbrunner said. It’s not clear, she said, how cerain fees correspond to the services they pay for.

Neither city auditors nor Oakland Public Works’ (OPW) officials could provide Oakland Voices with an itemized explanation for why Oakland’s rates are higher than nearby jurisdictions. 

Oakland Voices reached out to WMAC via email and phone call but did not receive a response to questions. 

Multifamily residents use bulky pickup far less

Access to services varies between single-family homes and apartment buildings under city programs. 

Single-family residents receive two free curbside bulky pickup appointments per year. Multifamily units receive one free appointment per unit each year.

The city audit revealed a disparity in use. In 2025, auditors estimated that 72% of single-family units used their bulky-pickup appointment, compared with less than 2% for multifamily units. 

Until November 2021, renters had to ask their landlord or property manager for a bulky pickup. Kaplan said Oakland changed that policy so residents can schedule their bulky waste pickup directly. 

“Because of this policy change, and because tenants move more often or may move from a different city with different rules, some renters may not be aware that this service is available to them,” Kaplan said. 

The City Council allocated funding for OPW to hire a local firm to develop and test an outreach strategy to increase multifamily participation, OPW Director Liam Garland told Oakland Voices. 

“They’re gonna be developing a strategy for us for neighborhoods that are heavily populated with illegal dumping that are not using the resources,” OPW Assistant Director Kristin Hathaway said. 

The city also offers one free drop-off of up to four cubic yards of bulky waste per year at the Davis Street Resource Recovery Complex in San Leandro. 

Dozens of city dumpsters went unused

Under the Waste Management contract, the mayor and City Council members receive a combined allocation of 108 large 20-cubic-yard dumpsters annually, and 30 bins reserved for city events.

The city audit found 71 dumpsters were unused in 2025, including 22 of the 30 reserved for municipal events. 

Oakland residents organizing eligible community events can request debris boxes through the mayor’s or council members’ offices using an online request form.

Community organizations organizing their own cleanups also face disposal costs.

“We need them dumpsters, they’re very expensive,” Supriya Golas, executive director for Urban Compassion Project (UCP) said. UCP is an Oakland-based nonprofit that organizes cleanups and other services. The organization said it removed 1.3 million pounds of trash from Oakland streets in 2025.

“We spent $130,000 on dumpsters last year,” Golas said.

Oakland expands legal disposal options 

Oakland is expanding legal disposal options. At the July 25 return of OPW’s “Bulky Block Party”, 385 vehicles dropped off enough trash to fill 15 large bins. Another free drop-off event is scheduled for Oct. 24.  

Oakland also recently secured a $9.2 million Crankstart Foundation grant to combat illegal dumping. Part of the funding will support a pilot program providing larger residential trash containers for tenants at no extra cost.

Asked about the connection between disposal costs and illegal dumping, Hathaway pointed to affordability. 

“The key to it is finding affordable waste services for people,” Hathaway said.