Burgundy, Dark Gray, or Black Bin (Trash)
All residential trash items must fit entirely within the automated container with the lid resting flat. Trash stacked loosely next to or piled on top of the container will not be handled by automated mechanical arms.
Accepted Items
- ✓Unrecyclable snack wraps and potato chip bags
- ✓Diapers, personal facial wipes, and sanitary products
- ✓Bagged pet waste and clean or soiled cat litter
- ✓Broken window pane shards, mirrors, and ceramics
- ✓F flimsy plastic grocery sacks and sticky wrap films
- ✓Wax-covered cardboard boxes and single-use coffee cups
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclable items must be dropped into the blue bin loose, clean, dry, and unbagged. Small paper fragments or shredded documents must be enclosed in a paper sack or small cardboard box to prevent blowing away.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean aluminum beverage cans and steel soup cans
- ✓Glass jars and bottles (clear, brown, and green tints)
- ✓Rigid plastic containers and detergent jugs labeled #1-#5
- ✓Flattened dry cardboard boxes and clean cereal cartons
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and phonebooks
- ✓Styrofoam packing blocks (clean and dry)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic grocery sacks or stretch wraps
- ✕Food-contaminated pizza boxes or greasy papers
- ✕Electronic components or household consumer batteries
- ✕Ceramic dishes, flower vases, or light bulbs
- ✕Hardback books (unless front and back covers are removed)
Yard Waste Bin
Yard waste and food waste must be consolidated loosely inside the green cart. Do not place materials in plastic bags, compostable bags, or tie them with metallic wire, as they damage processing shredders.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fresh lawn clippings, weeds, and organic thatch
- ✓Dry garden leaves, shrub prunings, and flowers
- ✓Tree limbs and palm fronds (under 4 inches wide and 4 feet long)
- ✓Household food scraps, fruit peelings, vegetable stems, and coffee grounds
- ✓Cooked meat remnants, bones, dairy cast-offs, and bread crusts
- ✓Food-soiled paper plates and greasy pizza boxes
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Allocated free pickups per year + 2 items per Curbside Clean-up Event
Placement
Items must be positioned neatly at the street curb edge by 6:00 AM on the day of your approved collection appointment. Do not block public thoroughfares, sidewalks, or access to standard carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Major household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Large home furniture (couches, mattresses, tables, chairs)
- ✓ Consumer electronics and television sets (Universal Waste)
- ✓ Passenger car tires
Not Accepted
- ✕ Commercial liquid chemicals or industrial hazardous materials
- ✕ Loose construction demolition debris (concrete blocks, dirt, bricks)
- ✕ Automotive components, engine blocks, and heavy vehicle parts
- ✕ Any individual loose item that exceeds 150 pounds
Once a household exhausts their allocated free yearly bulk slots, extra collections can be arranged through Desert Valley Disposal for an established service handling fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When an observed holiday falls on a scheduled weekday, residential collection routes for the holiday and all remaining service days for that week shift back exactly one business day. Regular Thursday routes are completed on Friday, and Friday routes are serviced on Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Organic and yard waste collections shift on the exact same delayed timeline as standard trash carts during major holiday updates.
If one of these major calendar holidays falls naturally on a Saturday or Sunday, the regular Monday through Friday neighborhood pickup routines remain completely unchanged.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Plastic Bags Banned from Blue Carts
Never wrap your recyclables inside plastic grocery sacks. Flimsy films wrap tightly around the rotating sorting wheels at the processing station, causing line jams. Drop recyclables in completely loose.
Separate Sticky Food Residues in Hot Weather
Intense desert heat causes leftover sugars and oils to fuse containers to paper goods inside the collection truck. Thoroughly scrape out sticky items with a spatula and rinse containers before recycling.
Remove Lids and Caps from Bottles
Before tossing glass jars or plastic jugs into your blue bin, remove all caps, corks, and metal lids. These must be discarded separately or tossed in loose to prevent trapping air and liquids during baling.
Seasonal Information
Summer Heat Organic Odor Controls
June to SeptemberWith Coachella Valley temperatures regularly exceeding 110 degrees, organic bins degrade rapidly. Layer kitchen food scraps beneath a heavy layer of dry yard trimmings or leaves, keep the cart in a shaded spot, and ensure the lid is sealed tightly to prevent pests.
Post-Holiday Tree Recycling Loops
December to JanuaryNatural Christmas trees are collected curbside on regular collection days for the first two weeks of January. Residents must remove all ornaments, stands, tinsel, and lights. Trees exceeding 6 feet must be sawn in half.
High-Wind Windstorm Precautions
March to MayDesert spring windstorms can blow light recyclables out of open bins. Ensure all cardboard is securely wedged, avoid setting out half-empty carts, and consider waiting until the following week if winds are severe.
About Desert Hot Springs Waste Management
Desert Hot Springs Curbside Waste & Sanitation Framework
The City of Desert Hot Springs regulates all domestic refuse extraction, dry recycling loops, and regional composting frameworks under an exclusive municipal franchise agreement with Desert Valley Disposal (DVD). Tailored to preserve the aesthetic hygiene of the Coachella Valley's northern desert landscapes, single-family residential accounts receive unified automated route servicing. To promote high diversion percentages, trash, blue recycling, and organics containers are all serviced concurrently on the same assigned day each week, helping locals maintain environmental compliance with minimal confusion.
Automated Cart Placement and Extreme Desert Winds
To ensure efficient processing by the hauler's automated mechanical arms, all rolling carts must be staged at the pavement curb line by 6:00 AM on collection morning. Containers must face forward with the primary lid openings pointed toward the street and the handles facing back toward the property line. Because Desert Hot Springs is prone to intense high-velocity wind gusts, maintaining a minimum four-foot clearance around each barrel is essential to prevent bins from tipping over and scattering trash.
Mandatory Organic Sorting Under California SB 1383
In direct compliance with California's strict greenhouse gas reduction targets, Desert Hot Springs enforces source-separated organic recycling programs. The green residential cart functions as a comprehensive composting bin, authorized to receive general desert yard clippings alongside household food items. Residents must route items like leftover cooked meats, dairy scraps, fruit rinds, and food-stained paper products directly into their green organics container to divert them from regional landfill lines.
Cardboard Moving Accommodations for New Residents
Understanding that relocating into the desert generates high volumes of packaging debris, Desert Valley Disposal offers a unique service tier for new residential move-ins. While standard cardboard must be flattened and contained inside the standard 96-gallon blue recycling container, residents handling large unpackaging volumes can contact the local administrative office to arrange a special over-capacity cardboard pickup completely free of charge.
Drop-off Facilities
Palm Springs Permanent HHW Collection Facility
1100 Vella Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Materials Accepted
Desert Valley Disposal Main Office
4690 E Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Desert Hot Springs residents schedule a free bulky waste pickup?
Residents can schedule their free bulk collection by calling Desert Valley Disposal directly at 760-329-5030, emailing customer service at [email protected], or using the interactive web chat feature on the hauler's site. Items must be staged curbside by 6:00 AM on the scheduled day.
Where can I safely discard old motor oil and hazardous home chemicals?
Motor oil can be collected on a convenient curbside basis by coordinating directly with Desert Valley Disposal. For other household hazardous wastes like wet paints or pesticides, residents receive free drop-off access at the Palm Springs Permanent HHW Facility located at 1100 Vella Road.
Can I throw away consumer electronics or old televisions in my standard carts?
No. In California, consumer electronics, including computer monitors and televisions, are classified as Universal Waste and are strictly banned from landfills. They must be collected via a scheduled bulky waste pickup or dropped off at a certified e-waste recycling hub.
What should I do if my recycling or trash bins are damaged?
If your automated rolling cart suffers a broken wheel, cracked base, or missing lid, you should contact Desert Valley Disposal customer service at 760-329-5030 to arrange a free cart repair or container exchange.