Los Angeles trash pickup schedule and recycling rules

States & Cities › California › Los Angeles

• Who collects: LA Sanitation (LASAN), for buildings of up to four units
• Your pickup day: depends on your address; Find Your Residential Collection Day ↗
• Holiday changes: one day later only in four holiday weeks; LASAN Holiday Collection Delays ↗
• Missed pickup: after 6 p.m., in MyLA311 or by phone; Report a Missed Collection ↗
• Contact: 1-800-773-2489, 24 hours a day; 311 (MyLA311)
• Official website: LA Sanitation & Environment ↗

The Los Angeles trash pickup schedule is weekly: LASAN empties the black, blue and green bins on one day, Monday through Friday, set by your address. Find it on the LASAN home page or at 1-800-773-2489, and put bins out before 6 a.m.

This is the City’s service for homes and buildings of up to four units; buildings of five or more units are served by a recycLA hauler.

Photo: Downtown Los Angeles skyline at night. BrianLiao, 2008-11-06. CC BY 2.0 · Source. Resized for web.

How the Los Angeles pickup schedule works

LASAN’s single-family service uses one weekly collection day for every bin a home has. Single-family homes and duplexes get a black, a blue and a green bin; homes with horses can add a brown bin.

• Put bins at the curb before 6 a.m. on collection day and bring them back onto your property by 8 p.m. the same day.
• LASAN’s bin guidelines ask for bins 6 to 12 inches apart and 6 to 12 inches from the curb; its missed-collection page asks for 3 feet between bins and from cars, trees and poles. A bin whose lid does not close may not be collected, and bags beside it need an Extra Capacity Tag.
• In a LASAN-served multifamily building, each unit gets a black and a blue bin and the building shares one green bin.
• The brown bin is $25.33 a month with a six-month minimum, and LASAN checks the property before delivering it. It takes horse manure and stable bedding only.
• Businesses and buildings of five or more units are served through recycLA: more than 66,000 customers in 11 zones. The city’s haulers are Athens Services, CalMet Services, NASA Services, Republic Services, Universal Waste Systems and Waste Management; your zone map or bill shows which. The current franchise agreements end January 31, 2027, and LASAN told the City Council a revised recycLA program would start in early 2027.

What goes in the Los Angeles recycling bin

Recyclables go in loose, empty, clean and dry. For single items, search the free SORT LA app or text “hello LA1” to LASAN’s Professor Green assistant at 213-263-6238.

• Yes:
  • junk mail
  • newspapers
  • cereal boxes
  • flattened delivery boxes
  • plastic bottles, jugs and tubs marked #1, #2 or #5
  • glass bottles and jars of any color
  • aluminum cans
  • tin cans
  • clean aluminum foil
• No:
  • food and liquids
  • “tanglers” such as hoses, holiday lights and wires, which jam the sorting machines
  • batteries, light bulbs and other household hazardous waste
  • items too big for the bin
  • plastic bags and film (black bin)
  • Styrofoam (black bin)
  • plastics #3, #4, #6 and #7 (black bin)

The black bin also takes crockery, rubber hoses, diapers, bagged pet waste and small pieces of treated wood. A greasy pizza box goes in the green bin, not the blue one.

Yard waste and food scraps

Every City of Los Angeles resident must put food waste and yard waste in the green bin each week; collect scraps in any small container with a lid.

• Yes:
  • food scraps, including bones, meat, fish, dairy and eggshells
  • coffee grounds and filters
  • food-soiled paper, napkins and paper towels
  • pizza boxes
  • flowers and grass clippings
  • tree and bush trimmings
  • clean untreated wood
• No:
  • plastic bags, including compostable bags
  • pet waste
  • anything labeled “compostable” or “biodegradable,” even when certified

Once a year, LASAN collects excess yard trimmings and brush free: tie bundles no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 30 pounds, and book through MyLA311 or at 1-800-773-2489 (Annual Brush Pickup ↗).

Christmas trees: last season LASAN collected bare, real trees on trash day through January 31, cut to fit inside the green bin or whole next to it. Trees over 6 feet, or after January 31, need a bulky item pickup; flocked and artificial trees go in the black bin.

Bulky trash pickup in Los Angeles

Bulky pickup is free and unlimited, on your regular trash day. Request it at least one business day before that day through MyLA311 (online or the app) or at 1-800-773-2489, with a list of what you are putting out (Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup ↗).

• Taken:
  • furniture
  • mattresses and box springs
  • toilets and sinks
  • carpet, rolled and tied
  • doors and large pieces of wood
  • TVs, computers and monitors
• Refused:
  • auto parts and used oil
  • concrete, bricks and dirt
  • commercial appliances
  • paint, solvents and chemicals
  • medicines and needles
  • fluorescent lights
  • cardboard, except on a Move-In/Move-Out pickup

Refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, water heaters and heaters go through LASAN’s separate free Metal Appliance Pickup: book it one business day ahead the same way, take refrigerator and freezer doors off, and expect a different truck from the bulky crew.

Move-In/Move-Out: call at least one business day ahead. Each bag, box or tied bundle may weigh up to 30 pounds, flattened boxes and bundles no larger than 2 by 3 feet; seal packing peanuts and shredded paper in bags.

Drop-off days: LASAN’s free bulky drop-off days run 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The dates left in 2026 are Saturday, November 21 and Saturday, December 12, at the East Valley (11050 Pendleton Street), West Valley (8840 Vanalden Avenue), Harbor (1400 N. Gaffey Street) and West Los Angeles (2027 Stoner Avenue) yards and at 2201 E. Washington Boulevard in Central LA.

Tires never go in any bin. City residents may drop off up to four a calendar year free at a LASAN district yard, rims off, with ID and a current utility bill; tires from a tire shop are refused. The yards are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., except City holidays, and also sell Extra Capacity Tags:

• East Valley: 11050 Pendleton Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352
• West Valley: 8840 Vanalden Avenue, Northridge, CA 91324
• Harbor: 1400 North Gaffey, San Pedro, CA 90731
• West Los Angeles: 2027 Stoner Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• North Central: 452 N. San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031
• South Los Angeles: 786 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90023

Los Angeles holiday trash schedule

Most holidays do not change collection. In 2026 only the weeks of New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas slide: there is no collection on the holiday, pickups from the holiday to the end of the week move one day later, and days before the holiday keep their schedule. A weekend holiday causes no delay. recycLA haulers keep their own holiday lists, and the Customer Care Center stays open on every holiday.

LASAN has not posted its 2027 holiday list yet. Most S.A.F.E. Centers close December 24 to January 3 for the winter break; the UCLA center closes November 27 and December 25 to January 3.

Hazardous waste, electronics and drop-off sites

Household hazardous waste and electronics go free to S.A.F.E. Centers, open to City of Los Angeles and LA County residents: up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit, and staff ask where the waste came from (S.A.F.E. Centers ↗).

• Taken:
  • aerosol cans
  • automotive fluids, including fuels (fuel containers are not returned)
  • cleaners
  • paint and solvents
  • pesticides
  • pool chemicals
  • fluorescent bulbs and mercury items
  • propane cylinders
  • batteries
  • TVs, computers, phones, printers and cables
• Not taken:
  • explosives
  • radioactive materials
  • medical waste
  • business waste (small businesses use LASAN’s paid Very Small Quantity Generator program)

Permanent sites, all free:

• Hyperion S.A.F.E. Center, 7660 W. Imperial Highway, Gate B, Playa del Rey, CA 90293. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; a valid driver’s license is required at the gate.
• S.A.F.E. Center at UCLA, 550 Charles E. Young Drive West, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Fridays, Saturdays and the first Sunday of the month (November 1 and December 6), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed November 27 and December 25, 2026, to January 3, 2027.
• Nicole Bernson S.A.F.E. Center, 10241 N. Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91325. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Randall Street S.A.F.E. Center, 11025 Randall Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Los Angeles-Glendale S.A.F.E. Center, 4600 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90039. Saturdays only, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; state-issued photo ID required.
• Gaffey Street S.A.F.E. Center, 1400 N. Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Washington Boulevard S.A.F.E. Center, 2649 E. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90021. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the line forms westbound on Washington Boulevard, and this center takes no business waste.

Small batteries can also go in the battery buckets at Los Angeles Public Library branches; tape the terminals. The libraries do not take vapes and e-cigarettes, light bulbs, phones or other electronics; take those to a S.A.F.E. Center. Needles and other sharps go in a puncture-resistant container to a public sharps kiosk or through California’s free mail-back program, and used motor oil also goes to a Certified Collection Center.

Fees and billing

The Solid Resources Fee, LASAN’s trash fee, is billed on the LADWP utility bill, about two months at a time (Understanding LASAN’s Rates and Billing ↗). It covers weekly trash, recycling, organics and bulky item collection with one 60-gallon black, one 90-gallon blue and one 90-gallon green bin. The City Council approved the current rates in October 2025; qualifying low-income customers pay 30% less.

Extra bins appear on the LADWP bill as the Sanitation Equipment Charge; low-income customers pay half for an extra black bin. The trash fee rises to $63.27 in July 2028 and $65.93 in July 2029.

For occasional overflow, Extra Capacity Tags cost $2 each, sold in packs of five for $10, up to 25 per household a year, at the district yards Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (check, money order or exact cash). A tag goes on a bag up to 30 pounds, a tied bundle of trimmings up to 4 feet and 30 pounds, or your own 30-gallon can up to 30 pounds.

Missed pickup, damaged bins and new bins

1. Wait until 6 p.m. on your collection day, since trucks sometimes run late.
2. Check that the bins were out before 6 a.m., lids closed, with space between them.
3. Report the miss in the MyLA311 app or at 1-800-773-2489 with your address, the bin color and whether it was a regular or bulky pickup.
4. recycLA customers use Report a Missed recycLA Collection ↗ instead.

Broken or missing bins are repaired or replaced free through MyLA311 ↗ or the Customer Care Center; have the bin number printed on the front. LASAN, not LADWP, handles bins, though the charges appear on the LADWP bill. Extra bins are ordered the same way and carry a monthly charge.

Materials with their own rules

• Mattresses: free LASAN bulky pickup. Statewide, CalRecycle oversees the program run by the Mattress Recycling Council (Bye Bye Mattress).
• Paint: a S.A.F.E. Center or a PaintCare drop-off site.
• Lithium-ion batteries: never in any bin; S.A.F.E. Centers take them.
• Vapes and e-cigarettes: not in library battery buckets; a S.A.F.E. Center.
• Household hazardous waste: seven S.A.F.E. Centers.
• Pizza boxes: greasy boxes go in the green bin.
• Christmas trees: in or beside the green bin on trash day through January 31.
• Tires: four a year free at a LASAN district yard.
• Aerosol cans and propane tanks: aerosols and propane cylinders to a S.A.F.E. Center.
• Refrigerators and freezers: free Metal Appliance Pickup, booked at least one business day before trash day.

More in California

• California trash and recycling rules
• Glendora trash pickup
• San Diego trash pickup
• San Francisco trash pickup
• San Jose trash pickup
• Holiday changes by city
• Bulk pickup rules by city
• Missed pickup contacts by city
• Drop-off locations by city