Costa Mesa Sanitary District

What Costa Mesa Sanitary District does

Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) is an independent special district formed in 1944 under California's Sanitary District Act of 1923, providing two core public utility services: residential solid waste collection and wastewater (sewer) collection. The district serves approximately 118,000 residents across Costa Mesa, small portions of Newport Beach, and unincorporated Orange County through 47,000+ sewer connections and 23,000+ residential trash accounts. CMSD is governed by an elected five-member Board of Directors and is funded through annual service charges levied via property tax bills as special assessments, making it a public entity rather than a private enterprise.

The solid waste division operates a three-cart curbside collection system (landfill, recycling, and organics) in partnership with privately contracted trash hauler CR&R Environmental Services, complemented by special collection programs for large items, household hazardous waste, sharps, medication disposal, and Christmas trees. The wastewater division maintains an in-house crew managing 224 miles of sewer service lines that transport 10.1 million gallons per day to Orange County Sanitation District for treatment. CMSD launched residential organics recycling in Southern California in 2015 using anaerobic digestion to convert food scraps into renewable natural gas and compost, and rolled out the three-cart system district-wide from October through December 2024 to comply with California SB 1383.

The technology stack includes AI Manhole Management for sewer infrastructure monitoring, GIS-based sewer mapping, and the Recycle Coach digital tool launched April 2026 for resident-facing collection schedules and disposal guidance. Revenue mechanics rely on mandatory special assessments collected through Orange County property tax bills, creating a subscription-style recurring revenue model with effectively zero voluntary churn within the service boundary. Notable recognitions include 15 consecutive years of GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, GFOA Triple Crown Award, LEED Platinum certification (2011), and District Transparency Certificate of Excellence through 2027.

Name

Costa Mesa Sanitary District

Legal name

Costa Mesa Sanitary District

Website

https://cmsdca.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Costa Mesa Sanitary District is a public independent special district providing residential solid waste collection, recycling, and wastewater sewer services to approximately 118,000 residents across Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and unincorporated Orange County, California, funded through property tax special assessments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Costa Mesa, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Assessments: Annual service charges levied through property taxes as special assessments. Customers pay an annual service charge appearing as special assessments on property tax bills.
2. Solid Waste Collection Services: Residential solid waste (trash) collection and transmittal to recycling facilities for sorting, recycling and disposal
3. Wastewater Collection Services: Maintenance of wastewater (sewer) collection system that collects and transmits wastewater to Orange County Sanitation District facilities for treatment and recycling

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Costa Mesa Sanitary District is an independent California special district that provides residential solid waste (trash, recycling, and organics) collection and wastewater (sewer) collection services to approximately 118,000 residents across Costa Mesa, portions of Newport Beach, and unincorporated Orange County. The district operates 224 miles of sewer service lines supporting 47,000+ sewer connections and 23,000+ residential trash accounts, while partnering with CR&R Environmental Services for hauling and transmitting wastewater to the Orange County Sanitation District for treatment.

Product overview

Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) is an independent special district providing two core public utility services: solid waste (trash) collection and wastewater (sewer) collection. The solid waste division operates a three-cart collection system (landfill, recycling, organics) in partnership with CR&R Environmental Services, complemented by education programs including Recycle Coach, the Alkaline Battery Recycling Contest, and Sustainability Star Program. The wastewater division maintains a 224-mile sewer collection system with AI Manhole Management technology and offers the Sewer Inspection Rebate Program. Both divisions support special collection programs including large item pickup, household hazardous waste collection, and roll-out services for seniors. CMSD is not a technology product company but rather a municipal government agency delivering essential public health and environmental protection services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Wastewater (Sewer) Collection Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 39% to 25% landfill waste reduction target through three-cart system implementation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CR&R Environmental ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivately contracted trash hauler providing curbside collection services. Handles solid waste collection, recycling, and organics collection. Services single family homes and multi-family homes with 4 units or less. Also provides household hazardous waste collection, large item collection, and other special services.
• Orange County Sanitation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceives and treats wastewater collected by CMSD. CMSD maintains a 224 mile sewer collection system that transmits 10.1 million gallons per day to Orange County Sanitation District facilities for treatment and recycling.
• Local Schools in Service AreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipate in annual battery recycling contest. Schools collect household batteries for recycling and compete for cash prizes. 19 schools participated in 2025-26 contest collecting 10,482 lbs of batteries.
• Orange County Household Hazardous Waste Collection CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for household hazardous waste disposal. Multiple collection center locations in Orange County for batteries, electronics, paint, and other hazardous materials.
• Orange Coast College Recycling CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccepts beverage container recycling (CRV), scrap metal, car batteries, cell phones, and electronics for recycling. Located on Adams Ave between Fairview Rd and Pinecreek in Costa Mesa.
• City of Costa MesaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on SB 1383 compliance and solid waste/recycling coordination. City provides resources and guidance for construction and demolition debris disposal.
• CalRecycleminorOthersCalifornia Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery - regulatory partner for organics recycling compliance and short-lived climate pollutant reduction requirements under SB 1383.
• California Air Resources BoardminorOthersState regulatory agency providing guidelines on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) and climate change strategies relevant to organics recycling programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American solid waste and recycling hauler. Comparable in operating residential curbside collection, organics, and recycling programs; competes for franchise contracts with districts like CMSD.
• East Bay Municipal Utility District: California special district delivering wastewater and water services. Operates under the same independent special district governance model and runs comparable sewer collection infrastructure.
• Republic Services, Inc. Major national provider of residential and commercial solid waste, recycling, and organics services. Comparable service portfolio to CMSD's solid waste division and a typical competitor for municipal hauling contracts.
• Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts: Large multi-district wastewater and solid waste authority serving ~5.6 million residents in LA County. Comparable in that it operates both sewer and refuse programs under California's special district framework, but at vastly greater scale.
• Orange County Sanitation District: Regional wastewater treatment authority that receives and treats the 10.1 MGD of sewage CMSD collects. Closest operational counterparty and the most directly comparable special district in Orange County by mission and scale.

Direct peers

• CR&R Environmental Services: Privately contracted hauler delivering CMSD's curbside trash, recycling, and organics collection. Direct operational peer as a residential solid waste and organics collector in Southern California.
• Sacramento Area Sewer District: Independent special district providing wastewater collection across the Sacramento region. Similar statutory foundation, residential ratepayer model, and capital-intensive sewer network operations.
• Irvine Ranch Water District: Independent special district providing sewer collection and related utility services to Irvine and surrounding Orange County communities. Most structurally similar California special district peer in terms of services, governance, and customer model.

Regional players

• South Orange County Wastewater Authority: Joint powers authority of South Orange County agencies treating and transmitting wastewater. Operational peer to the wastewater transmission function CMSD relies on through OCSD.
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency: California special district providing wastewater collection, treatment, and recycled water services in the Inland Empire. Similar California special district model and comparable sewer collection infrastructure mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CostaMesaSD
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CostaMesaSanitary
• Facebookfacebook.com/cmsdca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/costa-mesa-sanitary-district
• Instagraminstagram.com/costamesasanitarydistrict

Compliance31 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Costa Mesa Sanitary District