NEWS
Qualifying New Orleans seniors can pay just $10 monthly for sanitation, but the little-known discount requires an application and annual renewal.
By Kim M. Braud | September 5, 2026
As the New Orleans City Council debated increasing the residential sanitation fee from $24 to $32.25 per month, Councilmember Eugene Green mentioned a provision that may have surprised many residents watching the meeting: certain senior citizens can have their sanitation charge reduced to just $10 per month.
I was one of the people who had never heard of it.
My mother is 80 years old and has owned her New Orleans home for approximately 50 years. She did not know the reduced rate existed either. Although her income makes her ineligible for the program, our conversation raised a larger question: If an 80-year-old longtime homeowner does not know about the discount, how many seniors who desperately need it are also unaware?
The reduced rate is not a new benefit created as part of the latest sanitation increase. It has existed in the City Code for years and is tied to the sanitation rate that was in effect on December 1, 2000. Under the ordinance, qualifying seniors are exempt from increases above that historical rate, effectively limiting their sanitation charge to $10 per month. They are also exempt from a separate recycling charge, if one applies.
The protection remains in place under the sanitation ordinance approved by the City Council on September 3. Beginning October 1, the standard monthly residential sanitation charge will increase by $8.25, from $24 to $32.25. Qualifying seniors, however, may continue paying the reduced $10 rate after submitting the required application.
The discount is limited to heads of household who are at least 65 years old and meet the applicable household-income requirements. The application currently posted by the Sewerage and Water Board lists an annual income limit of $16,335 for a one-person household, $22,065 for a two-person household and $27,795 for a three-person household. The limits increase according to household size.
Applicants must provide proof of age, proof of income and documentation showing the total income received by everyone in the household. Acceptable records include a Louisiana identification card or driver’s license, a Social Security award letter, pension information and documentation of retirement-account income.
The benefit is not automatically applied when a resident turns 65. Seniors must know that the program exists, locate and complete the application, gather the supporting documents and submit everything to the Sewerage and Water Board’s Special Accounts Unit. The approval is valid for only 12 months, meaning qualifying seniors must provide updated income documentation and apply again each year.
That process creates an obvious information gap. A senior citizen can qualify for the reduced rate and still pay the full sanitation charge simply because no one told them about the program. With the standard fee increasing to $32.25, an eligible resident who does not apply could pay $267 more over the course of a year than someone receiving the $10 rate.
The December 2025 Louisiana Legislative Auditor report on New Orleans trash and recycling collection confirmed the existence of the reduced rate. The report explained that eligible seniors are protected from sanitation increases above the December 2000 rate and identified the reduced New Orleans sanitation charge as $10 per month.
However, neither the auditor’s report nor the publicly available information reviewed for this article states how many New Orleans residents currently receive the discount, how many may be eligible but are not enrolled or what outreach is conducted to notify seniors about it. Those numbers would help determine whether this is a functioning assistance program or a benefit that many eligible residents never discover.
Residents seeking the reduced rate can submit the application and supporting documents to the Sewerage and Water Board Special Accounts Unit at 625 St. Joseph Street, Room 124, New Orleans, Louisiana 70165. Applications may also be faxed to 504-585-2455. Residents with questions can contact the Sewerage and Water Board at 504-529-2837.
The City Council preserved the senior protection while approving the broader sanitation increase. That matters, but maintaining the discount in the City Code is only part of the responsibility. A public benefit cannot provide relief to people who do not know it exists.
With sanitation costs rising in October, New Orleans now has an opportunity, and an obligation, to make sure every potentially eligible senior receives clear information about the $10 rate and instructions for applying.
Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities.
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