Black Bin (Trash)
All household garbage should be secured in bags before placement to avoid scattering. The lid of the black cart must be fully shut.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged pet waste and kitty litter
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam packaging blocks
- ✓Disposable diapers and sanitary napkins
- ✓Single-use plastic wrap and grocery bags
- ✓Mylar snack wrappers and chip bags
- ✓Broken household ceramics and drinking glasses
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables; place them completely loose, empty, clean, and dry inside the blue recycling cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, flat-packed cardboard and paperboard
- ✓Dry office paper, newspapers, magazines, and junk mail
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans and tin or steel food cans
- ✓Empty glass bottles and jars
- ✓Rigid plastic containers marked #1 through #7
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic bags and stretch film wrap
- ✕Styrofoam plates, cups, or containers
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, or ropes
- ✕Liquid container residue or food scraps
- ✕Batteries and electronic devices
Yard Waste Bin
Keep organic materials loose in the cart. Do not place plastic bags, animal feces, construction debris, dirt, rock, or palm fronds inside.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and garden trimmings
- ✓Small tree branches and prunings (under 4 ft long and 6 in wide)
- ✓Raw or cooked food scraps (meat, bones, dairy, fruit, bread, pasta)
- ✓Food-soiled paper towels, napkins, paper plates, and pizza boxes
- ✓Small untreated, unpainted wood scraps
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Up to 12 free bulky pickups per calendar year (5 items maximum per pickup)
Placement
Place accepted bulk items curbside by 6:00 AM on your designated collection date, clear of parked cars and overhead utilities.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home appliances (washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators - doors removed)
- ✓ Furniture (mattresses, box springs, sofas, tables, chairs)
- ✓ Tied carpet and tied tree branches
- ✓ Electronic waste (TVs, computer monitors, electronics)
- ✓ Passenger tires (maximum of 2 per pickup)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, chemicals, vehicle batteries)
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Automotive parts and car bodies
- ✕ Loose household solid waste
The 12 annual monthly-scheduled pickups are free of charge. Pickups exceeding the limit of 5 items per pickup or on-demand off-schedule collections must be booked through customer service for a fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Following any observed weekday holiday, curbside collection service will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that holiday week.
Yard Waste Exception
Organic waste and recycling collections align perfectly with the holiday delay trash schedule.
If an observed holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, collections will proceed as scheduled on normal weekdays with no delay.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Film Plastics and Grocery Bags in the Black Cart
Never use plastic bags to bundle your recyclables in the blue bin. Thin film plastics and plastic shopping bags get caught in the mechanical rollers at sorting centers, presenting hazards to workers and halting processing lines.
Pizza Boxes Go Green, Not Blue
Greasy, food-soiled paper like cardboard pizza boxes, paper towels, and napkins cannot be recycled in the blue bin. Instead, place them in your green organics cart to compost them safely.
Rinse Out Beverage and Soup Containers
Before tossing metal cans, plastic milk jugs, or glass jars into the blue bin, ensure they are completely empty and quickly rinsed. Liquid contamination can ruin clean cardboard and paper mixed in the collection truck.
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Sweeping Precautions
October - DecemberHeavy leaf drop in late fall should be placed directly inside your green organics cart. Residents are strictly prohibited from sweeping or blowing leaves into street gutters, as doing so blocks storm drains and municipal sweepers, potentially leading to road flooding.
Summer Heat & Organics Odor Care
June - SeptemberHigh summer temperatures in LA County can create odors in organics bins containing raw food scraps. Layering wet kitchen waste between dry yard clippings and keeping the cart lid tightly closed will prevent pest breeding and foul smells.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Collection
JanuaryNatural Christmas trees are collected curbside for organic recycling during the first three weeks of January. Residents must remove all tinsel, metal stands, lights, and ornaments before placing the tree adjacent to their green bin.
About Bell Waste Management
Bell's Curbside Resource Allocation and Waste Management
In the tight-knit gateway city of Bell, California, residential sanitation, recycling, and organic programs are organized through an exclusive franchise partnership with Consolidated Disposal Service (CDS), a local operating subsidiary of Republic Services. Managed in close collaboration with the Bell Public Services Division, this curbside framework utilizes a three-cart system tailored specifically to prevent litter accumulation in our highly dense residential avenues and keep the nearby Los Angeles River banks clean.
Leading on Organic Diversion and Compliance under SB 1383
To align with California’s ambitious methane reduction laws (Senate Bill 1383), the City of Bell has transitioned to an integrated organics collection stream. Bell residents utilize a green organics container where they are instructed to co-mingle yard trimmings directly with residential kitchen scraps, including meats, dairy, and food-soiled paper products. This organic resource is diverted from landfills and hauled to regional processing centers to generate high-quality agricultural compost.
Understanding Bell's Structured Bulky Waste System
Bell operates a highly specific dual-track bulky waste program to keep streets clear of larger domestic waste. Single-family residential properties have access to two pathways: scheduled on-demand collection on Mondays by calling Republic Services directly, or utilizing the monthly pre-scheduled bulk drop dates—typically set on the last Friday or Saturday of each month—where up to 5 large household items can be set out curbside.
Important Placement Rules to Prevent Street Parking Bans
In a compact community like Bell, correct cart setting is critical to ensuring seamless automated pickup. Residents must roll out their carts either the night before or strictly by 6:00 AM on scheduled collection mornings (Fridays for standard routes) with wheels flush against the gutter edge. It is mandatory to leave at least 2 feet of clear clearance between each cart and 5 feet of distance from parked vehicles or nearby utility poles.
Drop-off Facilities
Washington Boulevard S.A.F.E. Collection Center
2649 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90021
Materials Accepted
Downey Best Buy E-Waste Drop-Off
12118 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, CA 90242
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I request additional recycling or organic carts in Bell?
Yes. Bell residents can request additional blue recycling carts and green organics carts at absolutely no extra charge. However, adding an extra black landfill trash cart will incur a recurring fee on your utility bill.
How do I safely dispose of used motor oil and automotive oil filters in Bell?
Used motor oil and filters cannot be thrown in any curbside bin. Residents should bring used oil to a Certified Collection Center or search the County of Los Angeles's CleanLA resource list for nearby oil recycling hubs.
What is the procedure if my trash cart was missed on its pickup day?
Make sure your bins were roadside by 6:00 AM. If they were missed, you can report the issue to Republic Services Customer Service at 800-299-4898 or report it digitally using the 'Bell on the Go!' mobile application.
Does Bell have a program for household medical sharps disposal?
Never dispose of medical sharps or needles in your curbside carts. Residents can bring home-generated medical sharps placed in certified puncture-resistant containers to any Los Angeles County S.A.F.E. Collection Center, such as the Washington Boulevard location, for free.