We almost killed Valet trash

I just re-upped my lease yesterday and, once again, had to accept the $25/mo Valet trash charge. I am so livid about having paid at least $1000 for this service over the years. A service I have not used once.

If you’re unaware, this is a non-optional service that’s tacked on to many leases. Valet trash’s pitch is something like: “hey, charge your tenents $X/mo, give us half (or whatever), let them leave their disgusting garbage in the hall, and we’ll pick it up every once and a while”.

Anyway, I did some research and found bill 5313 from early 2025, which originally included a clause banning “non-essential” services. It was clear from notes and recordings this was designed to target Valet trash-like services.

Unfortunately that clause was stripped away at some point before passing. It’s hard to tell what happened. The opposition is basically: “Valet garbage businesses can’t survive as an optional service”. They complain of tenants who use the service but don’t pay, because Valet trash can’t tell (LOL).

Just ridiculous these businesses have been allowed to fleece tenants for so long.