Municipal solid waste (MSW) management in California has become increasingly more costly primarily due to inflation, regulatory requirements, and environmental and social factors. As costs have increased and landfill sites have become fewer, many communities have investigated energy recovery. When deciding on whether or not to proceed with waste-to-energy projects, these communities must evaluate numerous economic, institutional, environmental, social, and risk factors. We often find decision makers do not understand solid waste management practices. Frequently, the decision making process is hampered by inability to compare economic and other factors between conventional MSW management and MSW management that includes waste-to-energy. To help in understanding cost data, a brief description of the elements of conventional and advanced MSW management are presented in Appendix A. This paper describes the conventional MSW management practices and costs in four different California communities.