Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Patterson
Trash Day
Collection runs Monday through Friday, depending on your neighborhood zone.
Recycling
Collected weekly on the same day as trash pickup.
Yard Waste
Collected weekly in the green bin on your regular collection day.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Garbage, water, and sewer services are billed together on your monthly City of Patterson utility statement, due by the last day of each month.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Phone, Mail, In Person, Auto-Pay
Pro Tip / Discount
Senior discount on water and garbage is available for account holders age 60+ who are enrolled in the TID Cares program.
Black Bin (Trash)
Place your Black Bin out by 6:00 a.m. on your collection day. Ensure it is 2 feet away from other bins and 3 feet away from vehicles. Food waste must go in this bin, not the green bin.
Accepted Items
- ✓Regular household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Food-soiled items
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Standard refuse
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Set out by 6:00 a.m. Do not bag your recyclables. All items should be loose, clean, and dry to avoid contaminating the recycling stream.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean paper and envelopes
- ✓Cardboard and boxes
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Plastic containers
Do NOT Include
- ✕Food waste
- ✕Organic materials
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Regular garbage
- ✕Yard trimmings
Yard Waste Bin
Use the 90-gallon Green Bin strictly for yard waste and leaves. Do not place food scraps or tree limbs in this bin.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Organic yard waste
- ✓Yard trimmings
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Fridays Only (By Appointment)
Placement
Place items curbside per the instructions given when booking. Do not block vehicle traffic, sidewalks, or your standard rollout carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture
- ✓ Appliances
- ✓ Large household junk
Not Accepted
- ✕ Tree limbs inside leaf piles
- ✕ Hazardous waste
- ✕ Liquid waste
- ✕ Everyday household garbage
Scheduling is handled by the Finance Department at (209) 895-8040. Applicable fees will be discussed at the time of booking based on item types.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
All residential trash, recycling, and green waste services will be delayed by one day following Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste (Green Bin) collection follows the exact same one-day delay as standard garbage and recycling.
If your scheduled collection day falls on one of these three holidays, please hold your carts until the make-up collection day.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Fall/Winter
November - JanuaryDuring the Leaf Pickup Program, always fill your 90-gallon Green Bin first before piling overflow leaves 5 feet from the curb. Move your vehicles the night before so sweepers and collection trucks can access the street.
Holidays
December - JanuaryBulky item collection appointments are paused after the first two weeks of December. Scheduling for Friday pickups will not resume until after New Year's Day, so plan your holiday cleanouts accordingly.
Local Tips & Community Info
Bertolotti Disposal Inc. Operations Overview
For residential refuse services, the City of Patterson partners with Bertolotti Disposal Inc. This exclusive municipal contract ensures that neighborhoods receive reliable, automated garbage, recycling, and green waste collections. Every single-family household is equipped with a standard three-cart system: a Black Bin for regular trash, a Blue Bin for recyclables, and a Green Bin for yard waste. Once collected by Bertolotti's automated trucks, standard refuse is transported to the County Landfill located on Fink Road, while mixed recyclables are taken to a regional transfer station for detailed sorting and processing.
Strict Cart Placement Timelines
To comply with Patterson Municipal Code Section 6.12.080, residents must adhere to strict timelines regarding curbside cart placement. Bins must not be placed on the street any earlier than 24 hours prior to your scheduled collection morning. Furthermore, all emptied containers must be removed from the curb and brought back onto your property by 6:00 p.m. on the day of collection. When rolling your carts out, place the wheels squarely against the street curb with the handles facing toward your house. You must maintain at least two feet of distance between each cart, and ensure they are a minimum of three feet away from any parked vehicles or obstacles.
Patterson's Unique Approach to SB 1383
While most California cities require residents to mix food waste with yard trimmings, the City of Patterson has a unique setup for complying with state SB 1383 organics mandates. Because the county landfill facility already actively composts organic material from the main municipal waste stream, Patterson residents do not need to alter their kitchen habits. All food scraps and food-soiled paper products must continue to go straight into the Black Trash Bin. You should never place kitchen food scraps in the Green Organics Bin, which remains exclusively reserved for outdoor yard clippings, tree prunings, and seasonal leaves.
Scheduling Your Free Bulky Item Collections
Instead of loading up a pickup truck to visit the dump, single-family residential households in Patterson are eligible to receive two free bulky item pickups per calendar year. This highly convenient service is strictly by appointment and collections only occur on Fridays. To schedule your pickup, you must call the City Finance Department at 209-895-8040. If you need to cancel a scheduled bulk appointment, you must do so by Tuesday of that week; otherwise, it will permanently count against your annual two-item limit. Placing bulky materials on the street prior to Thursday night can result in a code enforcement citation.
Managing Autumn Leaves and Yard Trimmings
During the heavy autumn drop, managing yard debris requires a bit of extra coordination. When the city's official Leaf Pickup Program is active, residents are instructed to first fill their 90-gallon Green Bin to capacity. If you have excess leaves that will not fit, you may carefully rake them into a pile and place it exactly five feet from your curbside. It is crucial not to mix any heavy tree limbs or branches into these leaf piles. Residents are also urged to move personal vehicles off the street the night before to ensure street sweepers and leaf collection crews have full access.
Holiday Adjustments for Residential Routes
Bertolotti Disposal drivers observe a very specific set of holidays, which will temporarily push back your normal refuse pickup schedule. In Patterson, residential curbside services are delayed by exactly one day following Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your normal collection day lands on or immediately after one of these three major holidays, you can expect the automated trucks to arrive one day later than usual. Notably, commercial dumpster services do not experience any holiday interruptions.
Drop-off Facilities
Stanislaus County Fink Road Sanitary Landfill
4000 Fink Rd, Crows Landing, CA 95313
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put food scraps in my Green Bin in Patterson?
No. Unlike other cities, Patterson's SB 1383 program requires all food scraps and food-soiled items to be placed in your Black Trash Bin, not the Green Organics Bin.
How late can I leave my empty garbage cans on the street?
According to the municipal code, all carts must be removed from the curb and placed out of public view by 6:00 p.m. on the day of your collection.
How do I request a bulky item pickup for an old couch?
Single-family homes get two free bulky pickups a year. You must call the Finance Department at 209-895-8040 to schedule a Friday appointment.