Recycling & Waste Collection

Weekly curbside refuse collection for all single-family, multi-family dwellings and commercial customers (utilizing roll-off collection services) is provided through Athens Services, the city’s franchised residential trash hauler. Because pickup of trash is automated, refuse is collected only in the containers provided to the residents by Athens Services. Containers to be serviced must be placed curbside by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled pick-up day.

Each resident is supplied with a set of three color-coded containers. The blue container marked “Recyclables Only” is to be used only for the following items: cardboard, paper, metal, glass, and plastic containers (See “Recycling” below).

The green container marked “Yard Waste Only” is to be used only for the following items: grass, leaves, bush & hedge trimmings, and tree trimmings under 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter. Please do not deposit palm fronds, ice plant, tree fruit or other refuse in the green containers. Bundled yard trimmings (not to exceed 4 feet in length) may also be collected as a Bulky Item.

The gray container marked “Refuse Only” is for non-recyclable trash. Any item not on the accepted list for the Recyclables or Yard Waste containers should be placed in the gray container.

Additional containers may be obtained by calling Athens Services at 888-336-6100.

Items such as dirt, brick, block and concrete should not be mixed in with regular refuse. This is construction debris, and requires a special pickup. Also, large bulky items such as furniture, appliances and bundled yard trimmings require a special pickup. Residents should call Athens Services at 888-336-6100 to make arrangements for these collections.

Residents are reminded that hazardous material such as paint, motor oil, pesticides and chemicals must not be placed in trash containers.
For further information or questions, you may contact Athens Services at the number above.

As part of the residential trash collection service, every customer is supplied with a blue automated recycling container to collect the following recyclable items: aluminum cans, aluminum foil, metal coat hangers, empty aerosol containers, all plastic containers, and clear/brown/green glass bottles and jars with the lids removed. No Styrofoam, Please

You may also include paper items such as newspaper, magazines and catalogs, telephone books, cardboard, cardboard 12-pack soda cartons, cereal boxes with the wax paper removed, food boxes such as cake mixes, crackers, etc., tissue boxes, pizza boxes, cardboard egg cartons, junk mail, white and colored ledger paper, computer paper, and envelopes.

The blue container is intended to be used exclusively for the recyclable materials listed above.

On the morning of your regular trash collection day, place the blue recycling container along with your green waste and regular trash containers curbside by 7:00 a.m.

If you would like further information about the residential recycling program or have a concern about your service, you may call Athens Services at 888-336-6100.

On the listed holidays, which are observed by the City’s refuse hauler, Athens Services, there will be NO residential trash, recycling or yard waste pick-up. The holiday listing can be found here: https://athensservices.com/ufaqs/what-is-the-holiday-schedule/

Solid Waste will be collected the day AFTER the normal collection day for the remainder of the week. For example, Friday’s trash will be collected on Saturday. The regular schedule will then resume the following Monday.

If you have a question concerning service or the holiday collection schedule, please call Athens Services at 888-336-6100.

All single family customers with residential curbside collection are eligible to receive free, on-call, pick-up for bulky items up to 4 times per calendar year (up to 6 items per pickup) that cannot be accommodated in the automated containers. Bulky items include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, electronics, mattresses, furniture, and bundled yard trimmings (not to exceed 4 feet in length). Multi-Family customers are eligible to receive free, on-call, pick-up for bulky items once per calendar year (up to 6 items per pickup) that cannot be accommodated in the automated containers.

Bulky items will be collected on the residents’ regular collection day, and residents must call Athens Services at 888-336-6100 at least one day prior to their collection day to schedule this special pick-up.

The City through its franchised trash hauler, Athens Services, provides a holiday tree collection service for homes with residential curbside collection. Collection of trees will occur on your regular trash collection day for the two weeks following Christmas Day.

The trees will be ground up for composting or used for the County Sanitation Districts’ landfill Cover Project, and thus diverted from disposal as regular trash.

Residents should place their holiday trees at the curb or alley by 7:00 AM on their regular refuse collection day during that period. All decorations must be removed. Flocked trees are acceptable. Trees over four feet tall should be cut in half. All tree stands must be removed. Please do not place your tree in a plastic bag.

Multi-Family Residential units may call Athens Services at 888-336-6100 for FREE pick-up of holiday trees.

If a release of known or suspected hazardous materials is observed, call 911. Stay away from the material, and keep others away. Allow only trained personnel to respond to this type of situation.

For a list of area recycling centers, please refer to your local telephone directory or www.earth911.com. Several local grocery stores also have recycling centers located in their parking lots. For more detailed information about recycling, call the California Recycling Hotline at 1-800-RECYCLE (800-732-9253).

Several local grocery stores also have recycling centers located in their parking lots. For more detailed information about recycling, call the California Recycling Hotline at 1-800-RECYCLE (800-732-9253). Several local grocery stores also have recycling centers located in their parking lots. For more detailed information about recycling, call the California Recycling Hotline at 1-800-RECYCLE (800-732-9253).

Composting is an excellent way to use yard waste as a valuable resource. Leaves, grass clippings, and the remains of garden plants and selected food scraps make good compost. The dark, crumbly organic matter from your compost pile can be used to enrich the soil in the garden as well as for houseplants and planters. For more information about how to compost, composting workshops, or purchasing a composting bin or instruction book, visit www.smartgardening.com.

To view the City’s agreement for Solid Waste Collection Service please click here.

To view the City’s First Amendment to the agreement for Solid Waste Collection Service please click here.