DATE: October 6, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Update on Future Solid Waste, Recycling, and Organic Waste Collection Services in Unincorporated Fresno County
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Receive an update on the status of future agreements with the existing seven Exclusive Service Area Program (ESAP) haulers for solid waste, recycling, and organic waste collection services in unincorporated Fresno County;
2. Provide direction regarding the scope and structure of curbside cleanup services, including:
a. Whether curbside cleanup should be limited to residential areas within District 3 or considered for broader urban unincorporated areas; and
b. Whether curbside cleanup should remain incorporated within the ESAP agreements or be evaluated as a separate County program;
3. Direct staff to evaluate existing ESAP service-area boundaries and zone maps, and if warranted, return with proposed modifications that address operational efficiencies, customer impacts, and impacts among existing haulers;
4. Authorize the Director of Public Works and Planning (Director) or his/her designee to negotiate service areas and other necessary service arrangements if an existing ESAP hauler elects not to execute a final agreement, consistent with Board direction and applicable legal requirements; and
5. Direct staff to return to the Board with proposed 10-year ESAP agreements and associated base rates by spring of 2027, following completion of hauler cost proposals, staff analysis, negotiations, and required County review and approval.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The Department of Public Works and Planning (Department) is providing a status update on the future solid waste, recycling, and organic waste collection service agreements with existing ESAP haulers. The Department is also seeking direction regarding curbside cleanup services, recommending an evaluation of existing ESAP service-area boundaries, seeking approval for the Director to have the authority to negotiate service areas if any existing haulers elect not to execute a final agreement, and requesting additional time to return to the Board with proposed agreements. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve recommended action 3, the existing ESAP service-area boundaries will not be evaluated for modification, and the service-area boundaries will remain the same.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Costs for administering the solid waste, recycling, and organic waste collection program are funded by the AB 939 Service Fees remitted to the County. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Resources Division Org 9015 FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
On July 14, 2026, your Board continued agenda item #8, regarding direction for the future solid waste, recycling and organic waste collection program. At that time, the Department was recommending and seeking your Board’s direction to proceed with transitioning to a single contractor exclusive franchise program design, implementation of mandatory collection services within select areas, and procurement of services through the competitive bidding process.
On August 11, 2026, after meeting with and receiving feedback from the seven existing ESAP haulers regarding the previously proposed recommendations and their potential operational impacts, the Department returned to your Board to request additional time to provide your Board with updated recommendations. After hearing the Department’s presentation and public comments from existing ESAP haulers, your Board directed the Department to return in 60 days with new 10-year agreements, to continue services with each of the existing seven ESAP haulers, with increased accountability for ESAP haulers, and without competitive bidding. Your Board also directed staff to provide information on curbside cleanup within select residential urban areas. The Department is seeking your Board’s clarification and direction regarding the scope and structure of these curbside cleanup services, including whether curbside cleanup should be limited to residential areas within District 3 or considered for broader urban unincorporated areas, and whether curbside cleanup should remain incorporated within the ESAP agreements or be evaluated as a separate County program.
Department staff submitted a scope of work to existing ESAP haulers on August 28, 2026, followed by a service rate survey on September 2, 2026, to solicit cost proposals for future agreements. On September 2, 2026, and September 10, 2026, staff met with ESAP haulers, to gather feedback on the Department’s proposed modifications to future agreements. After receiving hauler feedback, staff granted an extension for haulers to submit cost proposals. ESAP haulers will submit cost proposals to staff after the draft agreements are submitted to haulers for review. The Department also received hauler feedback regarding potential inefficiencies with the existing ESAP service-area boundaries. The Department is now recommending that staff evaluate existing service-area boundaries and zone maps, and if warranted, return with proposed modifications that address operational efficiencies, customer impacts, and impacts among existing haulers. If your Board approves recommended action 3, and if staff’s evaluation leads to a modification of existing service-area boundaries, the Department will return to your Board on December 8, 2026, for approval of the modified service-area boundaries.
The Department anticipates receiving cost proposals from haulers by January 11, 2027, and will analyze and recommend customer rates based on the proposals received. Depending on your Board’s direction, the cost proposals may also include separate curbside cleanup costs from haulers who service residential ratepayers in select urban unincorporated areas. The Department has prepared a projected timeline, which is included in staff’s presentation for your Board’s consideration.
Specific modifications the Department is planning on addressing within these agreements include increasing liquidated damages and/or penalties to provide a stronger enforcement mechanism, adding reporting requirements related to upcoming regulations such as SB 54, updating the community cleanup program to require two drop-off events per year throughout all service areas, revising definitions and special service rate descriptions to increase clarity and eliminate subjectivity, requiring haulers to host compost giveaway events on behalf of the County to assist in meeting the County’s annual recovered organic waste product procurement target as mandated by CalRecycle, and requiring haulers to collect single-use household batteries and used oil/filters from customers. The Department intends on requiring haulers to have locally based customer service representatives and to report all customer service issues, including missed pickups, whether the County is directly involved in the complaint or not. The Department also intends on adjusting flow control terms to direct disposal tonnage, when reasonable, to the County’s American Avenue Disposal Site. With consideration of hauler feedback, case-by-case flow control exemptions may be allowed based on environmental and operational criteria, including distance, environmental impact, and demonstrated physical or regulatory constraints.
In the event that any existing haulers elect not to execute a final agreement, the Department is seeking authorization for the Director or his/her designee to negotiate service areas and other necessary service arrangements with remaining ESAP haulers. Should the Director need to exercise this authority, the agreements would remain the same, however eligible service area(s) would be negotiated through a closed bid process with remaining ESAP haulers.
Following the completion of hauler cost proposals, staff analysis, negotiations, and required County review and approval, the Department recommends returning to the Board by spring of 2027, for approval of the proposed agreements and associated base rates.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #8, August 11, 2026
BAI #8, July 14, 2026
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Presentation
CAO ANALYST:
Maria Valencia