Gray/Black (Landfill) Bin (Trash)
Lids must be completely flat and closed to prevent local wind-blown litter and deter pests. Additional boxes or bags placed around or on top of your container will incur extra charges.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags and film wraps
- ✓Styrofoam packing blocks, cups, and food trays
- ✓Disposable diapers, wipes, and sanitary products
- ✓Mylar snack wrappers, chip bags, and candy packaging
- ✓Broken home ceramics, clay pots, and window glass
- ✓Bagged pet waste and kitty litter
Blue (Commingled Recyclables) Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables; place items loosely directly into the blue cart. All containers must be completely rinsed, empty, and dry before disposal.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, flattened cardboard and paperboard
- ✓Office paper, junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (emptied and rinsed)
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans and clean foil baking trays
- ✓Steel, tin, and bi-metal food cans
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, jugs, tubs, and jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic grocery bags or trash liners
- ✕Styrofoam packaging
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, or ropes
- ✕Greasy pizza boxes or food-soiled cardboard
- ✕Electronic waste or alkaline batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Keep organic materials completely loose; do not use plastic bags of any kind. Do not include dirt, rocks, concrete, animal feces, or tough landscape items like palm fronds, cactus, and bamboo.
Accepted Items
- ✓Kitchen food scraps (raw/cooked meat, bones, dairy, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and garden flowers
- ✓Brush prunings and small tree branches (under 4 ft long and 6 in wide)
- ✓Unpainted and untreated wood scraps
- ✓Greasy pizza boxes, paper towels, and food-soiled napkins
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
One free scheduled bulky item cleanup day every 12-month period
Placement
Items must be set at your curbside by 6:00 AM on your scheduled reserved date. Keep the bulk pile far enough away from your standard automated bins so they don't block collection arms.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home appliances (stoves, washers, dryers, water heaters)
- ✓ Oversized furniture (sofas, tables, stuffed chairs, mattresses)
- ✓ Televisions, computer monitors, and general electronic waste
- ✓ Passenger car tires (limit of 2 per pickup)
- ✓ Extra bags, boxes, or yard waste bundles (under 60 lbs each)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Any individual item exceeding 120 lbs in weight
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, automotive chemicals, gasoline)
- ✕ Construction and home remodeling debris (concrete, drywall)
- ✕ Lawnmowers containing fuel or motor oil
The annual 7-item curbside pickup is completely free. For extra bulky item removals outside of your free pickup, call Paso Robles Waste & Recycle for an added service estimate.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If your scheduled curbside collection day falls on or after one of these four observed weekday holidays, your garbage, recycling, and organics services will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
All organic waste and recycling collections align perfectly with the holiday delayed trash schedule.
Collections proceed entirely as scheduled on normal weekdays for all other federal and state holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Sort Palms and Bamboo to the Landfill Bin
Never mix palm fronds, yucca, cactus, or bamboo into your green organics cart. Their extremely tough, fibrous structures resist rapid municipal composting cycles and can damage regional shredding machinery.
Empty All Containers Before Recycling
Ensure all soda cans, plastic milk jugs, and glass jars are fully drained and quickly rinsed. Liquid and sticky syrup residue ruins clean cardboard and paper mixed in the collection truck.
Batteries Go on Top, Never Inside
Never toss alkaline or rechargeable batteries inside your blue recycling cart or black trash cart. Seal them in a clear plastic bag and set them on top of your blue lid to avoid sparks that cause truck fires.
Seasonal Information
Autumn Oak Leaf Collection
October - JanuaryPaso Robles' majestic native oak trees produce heavy leaf fall in late autumn. Sweep leaves directly into your green organics cart, and avoid blowing or piling them into public street gutters, which blocks storm sewer drainage.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Composting
JanuaryNatural, undecorated Christmas trees are composted curbside in January. Residents must strip all tinsel, stands, lights, and ornaments before placing the tree adjacent to their green bin on normal collection days.
About El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) Waste Management
Paso Robles' Dedicated Central Coast Waste Management Services
In the heart of California's renowned wine country, the City of Paso Robles partners with Paso Robles Waste & Recycle to provide structured curbside trash, recycling, and organic composting programs. Operating under the guidelines of the San Luis Obispo Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA), this service is fine-tuned to maintain municipal aesthetics, protect local oak-studded hillsides, and streamline resource conservation.
Mandatory Organic Sorting and Regional Composting Compliance
To comply with California Senate Bill 1383, Paso Robles residents are required to divert food waste and yard trimmings away from standard landfills. Using their green organics cart, families must separate all kitchen food scraps—including meat, bones, and produce—along with organic landscape debris. These organics are processed regionally to create nutrient-rich compost, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Convenient Curbside Spent Battery and Motor Oil Recycling
Paso Robles provides single-family households with dedicated curbside programs for household battery and spent motor oil disposal. To safely dispose of alkaline or rechargeable household batteries, residents can place them inside a clear plastic zip-top bag directly on top of their blue recycling container lid on collection morning. Used automotive motor oil is also collected weekly when sealed in approved, free containers provided by the hauler.
On-Demand Bulky Item Cleanup Programs
To combat illegal dumping and help residents clear out oversized domestic clutter, Paso Robles Waste & Recycle offers an on-demand residential cleanup service. Instead of a fixed, single week in the spring or fall, each residential billing account is entitled to choose and schedule one free individual clean-up day every 12-month period, allowing for the curbside pickup of up to 7 eligible bulky items.
Drop-off Facilities
Paso Robles Landfill
9000 CA-46, Paso Robles, CA 93446
Materials Accepted
SA Recycling (Local Buy-Back and Metal Scrapyard)
2812 Concrete Court, Paso Robles, CA 93446
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule my free annual bulky item cleanup in Paso Robles?
You can schedule your free annual cleanup day at any point in the year by calling Paso Robles Waste & Recycle at 805-238-2381. Make sure to compile your list of up to 7 items beforehand, and place them curbside by 6:00 AM on your reserved day.
When and where can I dispose of household hazardous waste (HHW)?
San Luis Obispo County residents can drop off household hazardous waste, including paints, chemical solvents, pesticides, and pool fluids, for free at the Paso Robles Landfill. The HHW facility is open on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM (weather permitting).
Does my weekly trash service schedule shift on standard holidays?
No, your collection occurs as scheduled on 51 weeks of the year, including Memorial Day and Labor Day. The only holidays that delay collection by exactly one day are New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
What happens if I place extra bags of garbage next to my standard trash container?
Service levels are based on a level container with a closed lid. If you have more trash than fits inside, you will be assessed a surcharge of $5.19 for each extra box or bag found around your container, and individual extra items must not exceed 50 lbs.