Brown or Dark Gray Bin (Trash)
All food waste belongs in this container. Bins must close securely at the lid to prevent local wildlife or pests from scattering refuse across street rights-of-way.
Accepted Items
- ✓Everyday household food scraps and food waste
- ✓Soiled food-packaging or wax paper
- ✓Plastic wraps, bags, and film packaging
- ✓Diapers and bagged pet waste
- ✓Ceramic dishware, mirrors, and incandescent bulbs
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclable items must be placed into the blue container completely loose, clean, dry, and unbagged. Bagged recyclables cannot be properly sorted by optical scanning lines.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, dry corrugated cardboard and paperboard packaging
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans and clean steel tin cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (metal lids removed but accepted loose)
- ✓Rigid plastics and plastic bottles larger than 6 inches in size
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, catalogs, and junk mail
Do NOT Include
- ✕Food-stained pizza boxes or greasy papers
- ✕Loose plastic grocery bags or bubble wrap packaging
- ✕Polystyrene foam blocks and packaging cups
- ✕Electronic waste parts and household chemicals
- ✕Fluorescent light tubes or loose medical needles
Yard Waste Bin
Material must be deposited loose in the green container. Do not place food waste in the green cart, as it disrupts the production of clean landscape mulch.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fresh lawn clippings and thatch
- ✓Dry autumn leaves and garden trimmings
- ✓Weeds, brush, and flowers
- ✓Tree limbs under 4 inches in diameter and under 4 feet long
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
4 pickups per calendar year
Placement
Items must be neat and accessible at the street curb edge by 6:00 AM on your confirmed appointment date. Do not block active traffic lanes or public sidewalks.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home furniture (sofas, armchairs, tables)
- ✓ Major household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Mattresses and matching box springs
- ✓ Electronic waste (televisions, monitors, and computers)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Commercial liquid waste or loose automotive fluids
- ✕ Hazardous household materials (paints, solvents, weed killers)
- ✕ Heavy renovation materials (concrete, bricks, dirt blocks)
- ✕ Uncontained or loose general garbage bags
Once your four free annual service allocations are exhausted, extra bulk pickups or special cleanouts can be coordinated with MarBorg for an additional assessed handling fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
MarBorg Industries does not operate residential pickup routes on major observed holidays. When a holiday falls on a scheduled weekday, the collection schedule is delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week. For example, a Thursday route moves to Friday.
Yard Waste Exception
Green yard waste collection routines mirror the exact one-day delay structure implemented for regular household refuse during a holiday week.
Holidays that fall naturally on a Saturday or Sunday trigger no changes, keeping the standard weekday residential pickup routines completely on time.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Separate Kitchen Food Scraps from Green Bins
Never toss raw food scraps or kitchen waste into your green yard waste cart. Food waste disrupts the regional composting program's raw mulch production, so keep all food scraps in your primary trash bin.
Rinse Out Ocean-Breeze Moisture and Food Scraps
Moist, residue-laden plastics or aluminum cans can quickly ruin clean cardboard loads inside the collection truck. Empty and rinse all jars, tubs, and cans thoroughly before placing them into the blue bin.
Keep Plastic Bags out of the Blue Recycle Flow
Do not collect or bundle your recyclable items inside plastic trash bags. Plastic film wraps around sorting gears at the MarBorg processing plant, so items must be dropped in loose.
Seasonal Information
Post-Holiday Tree Diversion
JanuaryLive Christmas trees are collected curbside during the first two weeks of January. Residents must strip away all tinsel, metallic stands, lights, and ornaments. Large trees exceeding 6 feet must be cut in half before placement.
Winter Storm Debris Management
December to MarchHeavy winter rains can wash dirt, rocks, and heavy limbs into residential rights-of-way. These heavy materials are banned from standard carts; check the Santa Barbara County Material Exchange program to post or source clean soil and rocks.
Summer Pest and Odor Control
June to SeptemberBecause all household food waste goes into the trash bin for ReSource Center processing, summer heat can accelerate odor and pest issues. Keep the bin lid tightly shut and freeze meat scraps until your collection day to minimize pests.
About Eastern Goleta Valley Waste Management
Residential Waste Management in Unincorporated Eastern Goleta Valley
Because Eastern Goleta Valley is an unincorporated community situated within Santa Barbara County, residential solid waste, recycling, and yard waste services are governed directly by the County's Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division. Curbside services are fulfilled via a long-standing county franchise agreement with MarBorg Industries. This setup ensures consistent neighborhood collection loops that seamlessly transition between urban street layouts and semi-rural valley zones.
Curbside Cart Placement and Set-Out Requirements
Residents across the valley are provided with specialized rolling carts by MarBorg for standard trash, recycling, and organic green waste. To ensure smooth automated routing, all containers must be placed out at the curb edge by 6:00 AM on your assigned collection day. Carts must be parked facing the street with handles pointing back toward the house, keeping a clear three-foot perimeter from obstacles like parked cars, utility boxes, or low tree branches.
The ReSource Center and Local Organic Waste Framework
Santa Barbara County routes all household trash from the Goleta Valley wasteshed to the state-of-the-art ReSource Center facility. This specialized facility extracts organic matter and compostable food leftovers directly from the standard trash bin, diverting up to 60 percent of regional waste from ending up in landfills. Because of this back-end technology, local single-family residents are instructed to leave their household food scraps directly in their regular trash containers rather than mixing them into green yard carts.
Curbside Household Battery Recycling Enhancements
To help prevent dangerous landfill chemical contamination, the unincorporated county features an integrated curbside battery recycling benefit. Rather than visiting a regional drop-off yard, single-family residents can pack expired household batteries inside a clear, sealed plastic baggie. Placing this sealed baggie directly on top of the blue recycling bin lid on normal service days allows route drivers to safely collect them during regular rounds.
Drop-off Facilities
Goleta Recycling Center (MarBorg Industries)
20 David Love Pl, Goleta, CA 93117
Materials Accepted
Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center (UCSB)
Henry T. Yang Dr, Building 565, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Santa Barbara County require food scraps to go into the trash bin in Eastern Goleta Valley?
Household trash from this area is processed at the County's ReSource Center facility. This advanced facility mechanically separates food waste from the trash to create compost and energy. Food waste must not go into the green cart, as it contaminates the clean landscaping mulch program.
How can I recycle old household batteries in the unincorporated valley?
Single-family residents can place household batteries inside a clear, sealed plastic baggie and set it directly on top of the blue recycling bin lid on their normal collection day. For safety, wrap the positive terminals of rechargeable batteries with clear tape.
Are apartment and condo residents in Eastern Goleta Valley eligible for free bulky item pickups?
Yes. Multi-family complexes receive a total number of free annual bulky item collections equal to the total number of units in the building. To coordinate a pick-up, residents must contact their property manager or HOA to schedule the service through MarBorg.
How can I safely discard leftover prescription medications or medical sharps?
Unwanted medications can be taken to free local collection kiosks managed by the MED-Project program. For medical sharps, single-family households can contact MarBorg Industries directly to request a free mail-back container.