🗑️ San Diego Trash Pickup
Who collects in San Diego, California, how to find your pickup day, bulk item pickup, holiday delays and what it costs. Checked October 31, 2026.
⚡ Quick Answer
In San Diego, residential trash is collected by City of San Diego Environmental Services Department. Pickup days depend on your address, so use the official lookup (Find Your Collection Schedule (Collection Map Lookup)) to find yours. Questions: 858-694-7000.
📅 Find my pickup dayOfficial trash page
Checked October 31, 2026 against the city's and its hauler's own pages. We never print a pickup day for a whole city, because it changes by street.
🗓️ How Pickup Works
Trash is collected weekly and recycling every other week, Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Organic waste (green bin) is collected weekly. Bins must be set out at the curb or alleyway by 6 a.m. Starting July 1, 2026, the City only collects from a City-provided gray trash bin.
City crews serve about 225,000 eligible residential customers. Businesses and privately serviced residences use approved private franchise haulers (city list: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/business-multi-family-recycling.pdf).
| Cart | Sizes | How often |
|---|---|---|
| 🗑️ Trash (gray) | 35, 65 or 95 gallon (95-gallon is the standard level) | weekly |
| ♻️ Recycling (light blue) | 95-gallon standard; 35 or 65 gallon by special request, charged at the 95-gallon rate | every other week |
| 🥕 Food scraps (green (organic waste)) | 95-gallon standard; 35 or 65 gallon by special request, charged at the 95-gallon rate | weekly |
🛋️ Bulk Item Pickup
- 📏Limits: The City's Trash Service FAQ says bulky item pickup is "paused until further notice." Call 858-694-7000 for details.
Too long a wait, or over the limit? Haul it yourself: 13 public drop-off sites in San Diego County, or get a junk removal quote below.
🎄 Holiday Delays
When a holiday falls on a collection day, collection shifts one day later for the rest of the week (for example, a Tuesday holiday moves Tuesday pickup to Wednesday, and Friday pickup moves to Saturday). Holidays named: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.
💵 What Residents Pay
| Monthly base bundle fee, 35-gallon trash | $33.66 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026. Billed on the County property tax bill as "SD Solid Waste Mgmt Fee". |
| Monthly base bundle fee, 65-gallon trash | $39.86 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 |
| Monthly base bundle fee, 95-gallon trash | $44.57 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 |
| Monthly base bundle fee, 95-gallon trash | $38.75 FY2028, effective July 1, 2027 (reduced rate) |
| Additional 95-gallon trash container, monthly each | $18.01 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 |
| Additional 95-gallon recycling container, monthly each | $11.11 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 |
| Additional 95-gallon organics container, monthly each | $12.71 FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 |
Copied from the city or hauler rate page. Rates usually change once a year.
🏡 New Resident? Starting Service
Service is automatic for eligible properties and cannot be turned on or off. New owners receive a mailer after the County updates deed information and can create a provisional account sooner. To request or change bins, use the Waste Portal or call 858-694-7000.
🚛 Drop It Off Yourself
- 📍Miramar Landfill and Greenery, San Diego · $75
- 📍Otay Landfill, Chula Vista
- 📍EDCO Recovery and Transfer, San Diego, San Diego
- 📍EDCO Station, La Mesa, La Mesa
- 📍Escondido Resource Recovery, Escondido
- 📍Ramona Transfer Station, Ramona
📚 Where This Comes From
- 🔗Collection Services (City of San Diego)
- 🔗Collection Schedules (City of San Diego)
- 🔗Collection Map Lookup (City of San Diego Get It Done)
- 🔗Trash Service Frequently Asked Questions (City of San Diego)
- 🔗Trash Service Fee Calculator (City of San Diego)
- 🔗Solid Waste Fee Updates (City of San Diego)
- 🔗Trash Service Updates (City of San Diego)
Checked October 31, 2026. Trash rules and rates change; the official pages above are the final word. See something out of date? Tell us.
🚚 Skip the trip. Get junk removal quotes near San Diego
No truck, or no time? Tell us what you have and we will reply with your options for getting it hauled. Free to ask, no obligation.