Palm Springs waste audits reveal recycling gains citywide, but one neighborhood tops 50% contamination

Palm Springs saw measurable improvements in recycling and composting compliance across most of the city in 2025, but one unnamed neighborhood recorded a contamination rate exceeding 50% in a fall waste evaluation, the city’s Sustainability Commission Subcommittee on Waste Reduction was told Tuesday.

Liz Hernandez of Palm Springs Disposal Services presented audit results showing year-over-year gains in all three property categories — commercial, multi-family and residential — when comparing 2024 figures to 2025.

Commercial properties showed the largest numerical improvement, with passing audits rising from 154 in 2024 to 229 in 2025, an increase of 75.

Residential properties, which Hernandez described as the strongest-performing category, saw failed audits fall from 42 in 2024 to 19 in 2025, while passing audits edged up from 336 to 341.

Multi-family properties continued to lag behind other sectors, though Hernandez reported improvement there as well. Passing audits rose from 152 in 2024 to 191 in 2025, while failed audits dropped from 208 to 169.

Hernandez said residents in multi-family complexes are harder to reach directly because outreach materials typically go to property management companies rather than individual tenants.

“Anybody that will have us will come by and do some general outreach to help with our numbers,” Hernandez said, describing the disposal company’s recycling ambassador program, which seeks bookings at HOA meetings, board meetings and community gatherings.

Separate from the compliance audits, Hernandez described the results of waste evaluations conducted in the fall — a program the city uses for educational purposes rather than regulatory reporting. Trucks pull loads from specific routes, bring them to the yard, and staff sort through approximately 200 pounds of material to measure how much trash could have been diverted to recycling or organics.

While most routes performed adequately, one neighborhood stood out.

“There was one specific neighborhood — I’m not going to call out neighborhoods — but that particular route had over 50% of contamination,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez said Palm Springs Disposal Services has begun sending direct mail to residents on the affected streets and is exploring additional outreach options, including potential coordination with the sustainability subcommittee for community events.

A second round of waste evaluations conducted closer to the holidays showed roughly 30% contamination, a figure Hernandez said should be viewed in context.

“We have the holidays and everybody coming back in town, so that’s being taken into consideration,” she said.

Subcommittee members discussed the broader challenge of reaching residents who have not yet adopted proper sorting habits, debating when the city should move from education and outreach toward formal enforcement. One member pointed to the city’s experience with gas-powered leaf blower restrictions as a model, noting that years of a compliance-first approach eventually gave way to stricter enforcement and a sharp drop in violations.

Hernandez said the city’s current direction emphasizes working collaboratively with non-compliant businesses and residents rather than moving immediately to penalties.

“We are not going to have you say, ‘I’ll just pay a fine,'” Hernandez said. “We are going to get you to participate.”

The city and Palm Springs Disposal Services partner to offer a program that provides eligible residents 15% off the annual cost of waste pickup services. Discounts are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until program funds are exhausted.

To qualify, residents must subscribe to Palm Springs Disposal Services’ Basic Curbside Service and meet the household income criteria for the California Alternative Rates for Energy program through Southern California Edison, SoCalGas or Desert Community Energy. Customized services such as walk-up collection and vacation rental properties are not eligible for the discount.

Applications are available in English and Spanish on the city’s website here.

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