SOLID WASTE HANDLING SERVICES
Residential, commercial, and construction and demolition waste collection services are provided by Waste Management Collection and Recycling, Inc. (“Waste Management”), under a franchise agreement with the City. For more information, please click here to contact the City’s Planning & Environmental Services Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commercial & Multi-Family Residential Waste Services
Mandatory Commercial Recycling
The commercial sector generates nearly three-quarters of California’s waste, much of which is recyclable. The State of California’s Mandatory Commercial Recycling Law (Chesbro, Assembly Bill 341) requires businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of solid waste per week, and multi-family residential dwellings of five units or more, to arrange for recycling services. For assistance making arrangements for recycling services, please click here to contact the City’s Planning & Environmental Services Department.
Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling
Recyclable organic waste accounts for approximately 40 percent of the material Californians dispose of in landfills annually. The State of California’s Mandatory Organics Recycling Law (Chesbro, Assembly Bill 1826) requires businesses to arrange for recycling services for the following types of organic waste: food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, non-hazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper. Multi-family residential dwellings must also arrange for recycling services for the same types of organic waste as businesses, with the exception of food waste and food-soiled paper. For assistance making arrangements for organic waste recycling services, please click here to contact the City’s Planning & Environmental Services Department.
Deadlines for businesses and multi-family residential dwellings to make arrangements for organic waste recycling services vary by date and the amount and type of waste generated, as shown in the table below.
| Deadline | Subject Businesses/Multi-Family Residential Dwellings |
| April 1, 2016 | Generators of eight of more cubic yards of organic waste per week |
| January 1, 2017 | Generators of four or more cubic yards of organic waste per week |
| January 1, 2019 | Generators of four or more cubic yards of solid waste per week |
| January 1, 20201 | Generators of two or more cubic yards of solid waste per week |
1 This deadline will only apply if the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”) determines that the statewide disposal of organic waste has not been reduced by 50 percent from 2014.
Residential Waste Services
Residential Bulky Item Collection
Both monthly and in-home bulky item collection services are offered free of charge to residents.
Bulky items include appliances, clothing, electronic waste, furniture, and certain types of residential waste, but do not include construction and demolition waste, hazardous waste, car bodies, or items that cannot reasonably and safely be loaded and unloaded into a vehicle by two people. For more information on acceptable bulky items, please click here or call Waste Management at (949) 642‐1191. Residents of Laguna Woods Village should contact Laguna Woods Village Resident Services at (949) 597-4600.
Free bulky item collection occurs on the third Saturday of each month. Simply place your bulky items near your trash enclosure or in the same location that you place your trash carts. Bulky items may be set out the night prior and no later than 7 a.m. on the day of collection. Residents of Laguna Woods Village must notify Laguna Woods Village Resident Services at (949) 597-4600 prior to setting out bulky items.
Free in‐home bulky item collection is available on an on‐call basis. Residents may schedule up to two (2) in‐home bulky item collections per calendar year, with a maximum of five (5) bulky items per collection. To schedule an in‐home bulky item collection, simply call Waste Management at (949) 642‐1191. Residents of Laguna Woods Village must contact Laguna Woods Village Resident Services at (949) 597-4600.
SPECIAL WASTE SERVICES
Household hazardous waste, home-generated sharps waste, and medicine waste disposal services are provided by WM Curbside, Inc., under contract with the City.
Home-Generated Sharps Waste Disposal
Residents may drop-off needles, lancets, and other home-generated sharps waste at City Hall, at no charge. For everyone’s safety, sharps waste must be placed in a rigid and needle puncture-resistant container (e.g., laundry detergent bottles, soda bottles, or medical sharps containers) before leaving home. Loose materials cannot be accepted. For more information, please call City Hall at (949) 639-0500.
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
Residents may schedule door-to-door collections of household hazardous waste on an as-needed basis, at no charge. Simply call WM Curbside at (800) 449-7587 and arrangements will be made to collect materials from outside of your home. For information on acceptable household hazardous waste, please click here.
