Dark Gray with Black Lid (or older solid Blue cart) Bin (Trash)
All household trash must be bagged before being placed in the cart. The cart weight must not exceed 250 lbs, and the lid must close completely to ensure automated collection.
Accepted Items
- ✓Candy wrappers, chip bags, and non-recyclable plastic film
- ✓Polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) cups and packaging
- ✓Diapers and feminine hygiene products
- ✓Bagged pet waste and cat litter
- ✓Heavily soiled or waxed paper
- ✓Broken ceramics and drinking glasses
Dark Gray with Blue Lid (or older solid Green cart) Bin (Recycling)
Place all recyclable items loose in the cart. Do not put recyclables inside plastic garbage bags, as they damage the sorting machinery at the materials recovery facility.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean and dry paper, junk mail, and newspapers
- ✓Flattened cardboard boxes and magazines
- ✓Plastic bottles and jugs (leave caps attached)
- ✓Glass bottles and jars of any color
- ✓Empty aluminum, tin, and steel cans
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic grocery bags and shrink wrap
- ✕Food waste or liquid-filled containers
- ✕Styrofoam packing peanuts or blocks
- ✕Batteries, electronics, and cords
- ✕Medical waste or syringes
Yard Waste Bin
To reduce odors, you may place food scraps inside a standard brown paper bag before putting them in the organics cart. Absolutely no plastic bags, including 'compostable' plastics, are allowed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Food scraps (meat, bones, dairy, bread, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Food-soiled paper (greasy pizza boxes, used paper napkins)
- ✓Grass clippings, leaves, and weeds
- ✓Shrubs and small tree branches
- ✓Untreated wood and sawdust
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
4 free curbside pick-ups per year for eligible residential customers.
Placement
Place your scheduled items at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your designated service day. Keep bulky items at least three feet away from your standard carts, mailboxes, and parked cars.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (sofas, dressers, chairs)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Large appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Electronic waste (televisions, computers)
- ✓ Bundled tree branches and scrap wood
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (paint, motor oil, batteries)
- ✕ Spas and camper shells
- ✕ Pianos or items requiring more than two people to lift
- ✕ Construction materials (dirt, concrete, rocks)
- ✕ Tires
If you exceed your allowance of four items per pickup, or if you request more than four total pickups in a year, you will be charged an additional fee (approximately $29.03 per additional bulky item).
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If an observed holiday falls on a weekday, collection services will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week (e.g., Thursday service moves to Friday). If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no delay.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling carts are collected on the exact same holiday delay schedule as the regular trash carts.
Only the six major holidays listed above cause a delay in Lancaster. Other holidays, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Veterans Day, do not affect the collection schedule.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Plastic Bags Out of the Blue Lid Cart
The most common recycling mistake is bagging recyclables in plastic trash bags. Plastic bags wrap around the sorting gears at the recycling center and cause costly shutdowns. Always place your cans, paper, and bottles loose inside the recycling cart.
Use Paper, Not Plastic, for Food Scraps
When participating in the SB 1383 organics program, do not use plastic bags to collect your kitchen scraps. Even bags marketed as 'biodegradable' or 'compostable' are prohibited. Use a standard brown paper grocery bag to contain messy food waste before tossing it into the green-lidded cart.
Never Throw Batteries in the Trash
Discarding household batteries, particularly lithium-ion varieties from electronics, in your black lid trash cart is a massive fire risk. Collection trucks regularly catch fire from crushed batteries. Always take them to the AVECC drop-off center on designated Saturdays.
Seasonal Information
Winter Holidays
December to JanuaryWaste Management typically offers free curbside holiday tree collection following Christmas. Trees must have all lights, ornaments, stands, and tinsel removed. If a tree is taller than four feet, it must be cut in half before being placed at the curb.
Summer Heat
June to SeptemberDuring the intense summer heat of the Antelope Valley, prevent odors in your green organics cart by freezing meat and dairy scraps in a container during the week, then dumping them directly into the cart the morning of your collection day.
High Winds
Spring and FallLancaster frequently experiences high winds. On windy days, ensure your cart lids are securely closed and avoid placing overly full carts at the curb to prevent trash from blowing into the streets and local desert habitats.
About Lancaster Waste Management
Free E-Vouchers for the Lancaster Landfill
Beyond standard curbside bulky item pickups, the City of Lancaster offers residents a highly valuable benefit through their Waste Management account: two free electronic landfill vouchers per year. Automatically loaded onto residential accounts every July, these e-vouchers allow homeowners to self-haul up to one ton (2,000 lbs.) of general household trash or green waste directly to the Lancaster Landfill & Recycling Center without paying standard gate fees. Residents just need to show ID matching the account at the scale house.
Mandatory SB 1383 Organics Sorting and Cart Colors
To comply with California's Senate Bill 1383, which aims to drastically reduce methane emissions from landfills, Lancaster requires all households to separate food scraps and yard debris into a dedicated organics cart. To standardize this effort, Waste Management has been rolling out dark gray carts with specifically colored lids: a black lid for trash, a blue lid for recycling, and a green lid for organic waste. Residents are warned to keep food waste out of the black lid trash bin, as WM actively monitors contamination and can apply a $28.97 fee per violation.
Access to the Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC)
Disposing of hazardous materials like old lithium-ion batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and motor oil in your curbside carts is illegal and poses a serious fire hazard to collection trucks. To manage these dangerous materials, Lancaster residents are directed to use the Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC) located in nearby Palmdale. The facility opens on the first and third Saturday of each month, providing a safe, free drop-off point for household hazardous waste and electronics.
Subsidized Additional Cart Capacity
A unique perk of the Lancaster residential service agreement is the ability to scale your recycling and organics capacity at no extra charge. While standard service includes one 96-gallon trash cart, one 64-gallon recycling cart, and one 64-gallon organics cart, residents can request up to two recycling and two organics carts in total without increasing their annual solid waste tax assessment. Additional black-lid trash carts, however, will incur an extra monthly fee.
Drop-off Facilities
Lancaster Landfill & Recycling Center
600 E Avenue F, Lancaster, CA 93535
Materials Accepted
Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC)
1200 W City Ranch Road, Palmdale, CA 93551
Materials Accepted
Lancaster 24-Hour Recycling Center
Located near the city's maintenance yard (Check city website for exact drop-off points)
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule a free bulky item pickup in Lancaster?
Residential customers with accounts in good standing receive four free curbside bulky item pick-ups per year, with a limit of four items per pickup. You must contact Waste Management at (661) 947-7197 or schedule it online at least 48 hours before your regular collection day.
What is the Lancaster landfill e-Voucher program?
Every July, residential property owners in Lancaster automatically receive two electronic landfill vouchers on their WM account. These allow you to self-haul up to one ton (2,000 lbs.) of trash or green waste to the Lancaster Landfill & Recycling Center for free. Just bring an ID that matches the account.
Can I put food waste in my trash bin in Lancaster?
No. Due to California's SB 1383 mandate, all food waste—including meat, dairy, and food-soiled paper—must be placed in your green-lidded organics cart. Waste Management monitors these carts, and putting food in the black-lid trash cart can result in a contamination fee of $28.97 per instance.
Where can I safely dispose of old paint and batteries in the Antelope Valley?
Household hazardous waste like paint, cleaners, and batteries cannot go in your curbside bins. Lancaster residents can drop these items off for free at the Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC) in Palmdale, which is open on the first and third Saturday of every month.