Santa Barbara County Updates Waste Collection Requirements for Isla Vista 

Santa Barbara County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved updates to Isla Vista’s waste collection law on Tuesday. That change will mean that property owners and landlords will need to provide larger trash bins. They’ll also have to take over managing a waste service account: one per “residential parcel.” The changes will go into effect July 1. 

The Problem 

If you walk Del Playa Drive, you’ll likely see litter: empty cans, wrappers and cardboard boxes. 

“For years the prevailing narrative has been that it’s the residents simply throwing trash on the ground, possibly due to the lack of public trash cans in residential areas,” Jenna Norton, the public works and sustainability director for the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) said at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting.

Norton spoke during public comment. She said that as an employee of the IVCSD, she decided to study I.V.’s litter problem more closely to determine whether systemic issues were at play. 

“What I observed is that trash does make it into trash bins. It’s just that oftentimes these bins are already at full capacity, making it impossible to secure them with a lid in the first place,” Norton said. She added that many bins lack lids, meaning trash can fly from them and animals can access the trash. 

The county last updated I.V.’s law surrounding trash collection and container requirements in 1995. The former ordinance allowed landlords, property management companies or tenants to sign up for waste collection services and permitted multiple accounts per property. The 1995 law labeled properties either “single-unit” for single family homes or “multiple units”; it required single-unit properties to have one 32-gallon trash can picked up twice per week. Multi-unit properties required one 32-gallon trash per bedroom picked up twice per week. 

Carlyle Johnston, an employee of the Public Works Department, said Isla Vista has grown denser since the ordinance was last updated 31 years ago, resulting in more trash produced in each household. 

“Even with special rules and special services applied to I.V., the waste environment is always changing. Current conditions in I.V. need an amendment to the existing ordinance to better address the issues we have today,” Johnston said. 

The Changes

Subscribing for Waste Services 

The updated ordinance will require landowners or property managers to manage a waste service account, not tenants. Currently, Johnston said, high tenant turnover can cause inconsistent waste service subscription, as accounts are frequently terminated or paused with tenants moving out. That means it can be challenging for the county to keep track of who is subscribed to waste services — a requirement in I.V. 

Additionally, each residential property must have only one waste service account (rather than several). The ordinance includes an exception: two adjacent residential properties may share a waste service account. Commercial properties can still have multiple accounts. 

Large and Small Single-Unit Properties 

The updated ordinance splits the “single-unit residential dwelling” into two categories. “Large single-unit” dwellings have four or more bedrooms. These properties have the same requirements as multi-unit residential properties. Small single-unit dwellings have three or fewer bedrooms. 

Bigger Bins and Recycling 

Multi-unit properties and large single-unit properties must provide one 35-gallon trash cart per bedroom, picked up twice weekly. They must also provide one 35-gallon recycling cart per bedroom picked up once weekly. Currently, recycling service is not required in Isla Vista. 

For small single-unit properties, one 35-gallon trash cart and one 35-gallon recycling cart for the property as a whole must be picked up weekly. 

Note that the county now requires carts: receptacles with wheels and attached lids. 

The county will also require property owners to “consolidate” the number of bins, depending on how many bins are required by law. That means using larger bins or dumpsters, reducing the physical number of receptacles required. 

Public Comment 

Three public commenters, all associated with the IVCSD, spoke in favor of the ordinance change. The IVCSD worked with the county to create the changes. 

The Board of Supervisors received one written public comment from the owner of a property management company in Isla Vista who said they strongly opposed the changes. The public commenter said the change would be “an accounting nightmare” and would ultimately incur higher costs for the company, which would result in higher rents. 

As for the county, it said in its board letter to the supervisors that this change would not cost the county more money.