Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Lakewood
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Same day as trash pickup (weekly)
Yard Waste
Same day as trash pickup (weekly)
Set Out Time
Before 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Trash service in Lakewood is contracted through EDCO and billed through the City of Lakewood utility billing, typically combined with city water service.
Billing Cycle
Bi-Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Phone, Mail, In-Person, Drop Box
Gray Bin (Trash)
The 95-gallon gray cart is strictly for non-recyclable refuse and items that don't belong in the organics bin. One gray cart holds roughly the equivalent of three standard trash cans. Extra carts can be rented for $3.50 a month.
Accepted Items
- ✓Plastic grocery and trash bags
- ✓Diapers
- ✓Pet waste
- ✓Cooled ashes (wetted in a bag)
- ✓Food wrappers
- ✓Non-recyclable household waste
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Lakewood's blue cart uniquely accepts clean Styrofoam mixed with standard recyclables. Leave items loose—never bag your recyclables, as the plastic bags tangle the sorting equipment.
Accepted Items
- ✓Glass jars and bottles
- ✓Corrugated cardboard and mixed paper
- ✓Aluminum and steel cans
- ✓Plastic containers
- ✓Styrofoam (clean)
- ✓Newspapers and magazines
Yard Waste Bin
Do not contaminate the 95-gallon green cart with plastic bags or non-biodegradable materials. The lid must remain closed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Food waste and organics
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves and weeds
- ✓Small branches and prunings
- ✓Food-soiled paper products
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Six (6) free pickups per year for single-family residences.
Placement
Items must be set out by 6:00 a.m. on your regular trash day. You must call EDCO at 562-531-3054 by 3:30 p.m. the day prior to schedule.
Accepted
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Water heaters
- ✓ Sofas and chairs
- ✓ Large awkward household items
- ✓ Major household appliances
Not Accepted
- ✕ Hazardous waste and chemicals
- ✕ Old auto parts and tires
- ✕ Building materials (bricks, lumber, roofing)
- ✕ Dirt and broken concrete
- ✕ Excessively large tree trunks
Free for single-family homes. Apartments and condos are not eligible for this city program and must negotiate pickups via property management or haul items to the transfer station for a fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If one of the observed holidays falls on a weekday, waste removal services will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling follow the same one-day delay as gray cart trash.
Holidays falling on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) do NOT cause any delays. Minor holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Presidents' Day also operate on a normal schedule.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryEDCO collects discarded Christmas trees on regular trash days for one week following Christmas. Flocked trees are accepted in the regular trash but must be cut to fit. Bare trees can go on the parkway or in the green waste cart. Trees over 6 feet tall must be sliced in half. Bulky item service is suspended during this week.
Year-Round
January - DecemberLakewood enforces strict street sweeping parking laws. However, on your designated street sweeping day, you are uniquely permitted to park vehicles in your front yard, side yard, or on your driveway apron to avoid tickets, as long as sidewalks are not blocked.
Local Tips & Community Info
EDCO Waste Collection Requirements and Bin Rules
In Lakewood, routine household trash, recycling, and green waste services are contracted out to EDCO. To guarantee that your household refuse is collected without issue, be sure to wheel your designated carts out to the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your specific neighborhood trash day. The city strictly enforces bin capacity rules to keep streets clean; all cart lids must close completely flat. Overloaded containers with trash spilling over the rim may result in hefty overage fees or left-behind debris. Furthermore, loose bags of garbage left sitting on the ground next to the bins will be ignored by the automated collection truck drivers, so all waste must fit inside the provided containers.
Single-Family Bulky Item Disposal Program
When you are renovating a bedroom or doing a major garage cleanout, Lakewood offers a fantastic free service for large discarded objects. Single-family homeowners can request up to six bulky item pickups per calendar year, allowing a maximum of six large pieces—such as couches, mattresses, or old water heaters—per scheduled trip. You must call EDCO at 562-531-3054 to reserve your spot on the route in advance. Keep in mind that this program is temporarily suspended every January to accommodate the post-Christmas tree recycling routes. Additionally, note that construction debris, loose dirt, motor oil, and automotive tires are strictly prohibited from this curbside program.
Multi-Family Unit Exclusions and Alternatives
It is important to recognize that residents living in apartments and condominiums do not qualify for the standard free bulky item program that is offered to single-family houses. Instead, condo and apartment dwellers need to consult their specific property management teams to find out how to legally discard oversized furniture or appliances on-site. Alternatively, if you possess a truck or vehicle capable of hauling the load, multi-family residents can transport mattresses and other large debris directly to EDCO’s public transfer station, which is located in nearby Signal Hill, subject to a designated drop-off fee.
Post-Holiday Trash Overflow and Tree Recycling
The weeks following the winter holidays almost always bring an influx of household packaging and extra waste. To accommodate this surge, Lakewood provides a generous holiday-related extra trash service. For one full week immediately following Christmas Day, you can place up to 10 standard-sized trash bags, as well as flattened appliance boxes, roughly two feet away from your normal carts, and EDCO will haul them away at no extra charge. During this same window, unflocked Christmas trees can be placed curbside. Just make sure to remove all tinsel, wooden stands, and ornaments. Any tree over six feet tall must be sliced in half before being set out on the parkway.
Keeping Household Hazardous Waste Out of Local Landfills
Standard residential carts are not designed to process dangerous chemical compounds or toxic electronic components. Throwing household hazardous materials into your regular garbage or recycling totes poses a major environmental hazard to the community. Items such as dead lithium batteries, unused prescription medications, old paint cans, fluorescent tubes, and motor oil must be withheld from normal curbside collection. Instead of tossing them out, residents must utilize specialized regional drop-off centers to ensure these caustic materials are neutralized safely and kept entirely out of the local soil and municipal stormwater drainage systems.
Drop-off Facilities
EDCO Transfer Station and Recycling Facility
2755 California Avenue, Signal Hill, CA 90755
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get an extra gray trash cart in Lakewood?
Yes. If the standard 95-gallon gray cart isn't enough, residents can contact EDCO to request an additional trash cart for a fee of $3.50 per month. You must keep the extra cart for a minimum of three months.
Does Styrofoam go in the trash or recycling bin?
In Lakewood, clean Styrofoam is uniquely accepted in the blue recycling cart, along with glass, cardboard, aluminum cans, and mixed paper. However, plastic film and grocery bags must still go into the gray trash cart.
How many bulky item pickups am I allowed?
Single-family homes in Lakewood are permitted up to six free bulky item collections per calendar year, and you can dispose of up to six items during each scheduled pickup. Keep in mind this free service does not apply to apartments and condos.
What should I do with extra trash after Christmas?
You do not need to call ahead. For the one week immediately following Christmas Day, EDCO provides free extra holiday trash collection. You can place up to 10 standard-size trash bags and flattened appliance boxes about two feet away from your bins on your regular pickup day.