Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Monterey
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone (Monday through Friday)
Recycling
Weekly on the same day as trash collection
Yard Waste
Weekly on the same day as trash collection
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Trash and recycling services in Monterey are billed directly by Monterey City Disposal Service. Standard service includes up to four free bulky item pickup appointments per calendar year.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Mail, Phone, In Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Subsidized discount rates (Senior, Lifeline low-income, and Physically Challenged) are available for eligible residents who submit a certification form.
Brown or Black Bin (Trash)
All waste must fit inside the standard 35-gallon cart with the lid closed completely. Overfilling your cart can lead to overage charges or container upsizing.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags, grocery bags, and film wrap
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam packaging blocks, cups, and trays
- ✓Disposable baby diapers, wipes, and q-tips
- ✓Incandescent and halogen light bulbs
- ✓Mylar snack packaging, chip bags, and candy wrappers
- ✓Unusable shoes, clothes, and textiles that cannot be donated
- ✓Window glass, mirrors, and home ceramics
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables; place all items loose, empty, clean, and dry inside the blue cart. Shredded paper is the only exception and must be bagged inside a clear plastic bag.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, flattened cardboard and paperboard packaging
- ✓Clean office paper, junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (emptied and rinsed)
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans, clean foil, and steel/tin food cans
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, jugs, tubs, and jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags, bubble wrap, or plastic film wrap
- ✕Styrofoam block or food packaging materials
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, or rope
- ✕Greasy cardboard or food-soiled pizza boxes
- ✕Alkaline or lithium batteries
- ✕Light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
Yard Waste Bin
Place organic materials completely loose in the green cart. Keep out plastic bags, soil, sod, rocks, concrete, building materials, cat/dog feces, lumber, palm fronds, cactus, and ice plants.
Accepted Items
- ✓Kitchen food scraps (raw/cooked meats, bones, cheese, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and garden flowers
- ✓Brush prunings and small branches under 3 inches in diameter and 3 feet long
- ✓Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags
- ✓Paper egg cartons and paper bags
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
4 free collection appointments per calendar year (Up to 4 items per pickup)
Placement
Call Monterey City Disposal Service at 831-372-7977 to schedule your appointment. Place all accepted items curbside by 8:00 AM on your scheduled collection morning.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home furniture (sofas, tables, dressers, chairs)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Major home appliances (washing machines, dryers, stoves)
- ✓ Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners (require landfill special handling fees)
- ✓ Televisions, computer monitors, and electronics (require landfill special handling fees)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, automotive chemicals, gasoline)
- ✕ Dirt, sand, rocks, sod, and concrete
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Standard household garbage
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
MCDS maintains regular weekday schedules for almost all holidays. The only exceptions are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your scheduled collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, service is delayed by exactly one day for the rest of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
All organic waste and recycling collection schedules shift uniformly during holiday delay weeks.
Normal collections proceed on their regular schedule if Christmas Day, New Year's Day, or Thanksgiving falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Management
October - DecemberWith heavy seasonal leaf drop, sweep all leaves directly into your green organics cart. Residents are strictly prohibited from sweeping or blowing leaves into street gutters, as loose garden debris clogs storm drains and causes local street flooding.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Recycling
JanuaryReal Christmas trees are collected curbside during the first two weeks of January on your regular collection day. Strip all ornaments, tinsel, stands, and lights. Trees under 6 feet tall do not need to be cut; trees over 6 feet tall must be cut in half.
Local Tips & Community Info
Preserving Monterey’s Coastal Beauty Through Smart Waste Collection
Protecting the pristine environment of the Monterey Bay requires a dedicated community effort, starting right at the curb. For residents living within the city limits, Monterey City Disposal Service (MCDS) is the official franchised hauler responsible for collecting household refuse, recyclable materials, and organic waste. All collected materials are eventually routed to ReGen Monterey (formerly the Monterey Regional Waste Management District) for processing, sorting, and diversion, ensuring that the peninsula meets California's rigorous environmental goals while keeping the coastline free of pollution.
Your Local Hauler and the Three-Cart Mandate
To comply with state legislation, specifically SB 1383, every single-family home in Monterey must actively participate in a three-stream sorting system. The Blue Cart is reserved exclusively for clean and loose recyclables, such as cardboard, glass bottles, metal cans, and rigid plastics. The Green Cart plays a critical role in greenhouse gas reduction; it is the required receptacle for all landscape trimmings as well as daily kitchen food scraps, including meat and dairy. Everything that cannot be composted or recycled—like styrofoam, treated wood, and non-recyclable wrappers—must be placed in the standard Gray or Trash Cart.
Setting Out Your Bins for Morning Pickup
Because collection trucks begin navigating Monterey's varied terrain early in the day, residents are required to have their carts positioned at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on their scheduled service day. Proper placement is vital for the automated arms to safely lift the bins. Make sure to leave at least three feet of horizontal space between each cart, and ensure they are positioned far away from parked vehicles, overhanging tree branches, and utility poles. The cart handles should always face your property. Once emptied, city municipal codes require that containers be pulled back from the public right-of-way by the evening.
Tackling Bulky Items and Hazardous Materials
When you need to discard oversized items that exceed the capacity of your curbside carts, such as broken furniture, mattresses, or large home appliances, you cannot simply leave them on the sidewalk. MCDS offers scheduled bulky item collections for a designated fee, which must be arranged by calling their customer service office. For toxic items like old paint, motor oil, household batteries, and harsh cleaning chemicals, residents must transport these goods directly to the free Household Hazardous Waste facility operated by ReGen Monterey located in Marina.
Holiday Schedule Interruptions
Monterey City Disposal Service maintains a robust year-round collection schedule, but operations are paused for three major national holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your regular trash collection day lands on or immediately follows one of these three holidays during the week, your pickup will be pushed back by exactly one day, culminating in a Saturday collection for Friday customers. Furthermore, immediately after the winter holidays, MCDS provides specific guidelines for the curbside collection and recycling of bare, un-flocked Christmas trees.
Drop-off Facilities
ReGen Monterey (Peninsula Landfill & Public HHW)
14201 Del Monte Boulevard, Marina, CA 93933
Materials Accepted
Last Chance Mercantile
14201 Del Monte Boulevard, Marina, CA 93933
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Which organization handles curbside garbage pickup in Monterey?
Monterey City Disposal Service (MCDS) is the franchised waste management company responsible for all residential curbside collections within the City of Monterey.
Are food scraps allowed in my yard waste bin?
Yes. To meet California's SB 1383 mandate, all Monterey residents must dispose of kitchen food scraps, including meat, dairy, and soiled paper products, directly into their Green Cart along with regular yard clippings.
Where can I safely dispose of old paint and batteries?
Hazardous materials are strictly prohibited in standard curbside bins. You must take items like paint, batteries, and motor oil to the ReGen Monterey Household Hazardous Waste facility located in nearby Marina.