Grey (One Big Bin) Bin (Trash)
Place all garbage, recyclables, and food waste into this single grey cart. It must be placed at the curb by 5:00 a.m. on your collection day. Do not put yard clippings in this bin.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household trash
- ✓Food scraps (meat, bones, dairy, produce)
- ✓Plastic bottles and containers
- ✓Glass jars and aluminum cans
- ✓Cardboard and clean paper products
- ✓Food-soiled paper and pizza boxes
Mixed into Grey Cart Bin (Recycling)
You do not need a separate recycling bin in Rocklin. Toss all of your recyclables directly into the grey 'One Big Bin.' It will be automatically sorted at the Materials Recovery Facility.
Accepted Items
- ✓All standard recyclables are accepted
Do NOT Include
- ✕Batteries
- ✕Electronic waste
- ✕Hazardous chemicals
- ✕Motor oil
Yard Waste Bin
The green cart is strictly for yard waste. Do not place any food scraps, plastic bags, or regular trash into this bin, as it bypasses the MRF sorting process and goes straight to compost.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves and weeds
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Small branches and prunings
- ✓Flowers and plant trimmings
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
By paid appointment or self-haul drop-off only.
Placement
To dispose of bulky items, you must self-haul them to the WPWMA or Auburn Transfer Station. If you need curbside removal, you must call Recology directly to pay for a special pickup or rent a debris box.
Accepted
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Major household appliances
- ✓ Large furniture (couches, desks)
- ✓ Electronic waste (via drop-off)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste
- ✕ Liquid chemicals
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Dirt, rocks, and concrete
Because free bulky pickups are not included in your service, you will be subject to landfill gate fees when dropping items off, or specialized service fees if Recology comes to collect them.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Recology Auburn Placer operates on a completely normal schedule for all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. If your regular service day falls on or after these two holidays, your collection will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
The holiday delay applies uniformly to both your grey One Big Bin and your green yard waste cart.
Service occurs on a normal schedule for major holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Do not delay putting your carts out during these weeks.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep yard waste out of the One Big Bin
While food waste and recyclables go into your grey garbage cart, large amounts of grass clippings and branches can clog the sorting machinery. Always place your landscape trimmings exclusively in the green yard waste cart.
Batteries cause massive MRF fires
Never throw lithium-ion or standard household batteries into your grey cart. Because all trash in Rocklin is processed through heavy machinery, hidden batteries frequently get crushed and ignite catastrophic fires.
Do not blow leaves into the street
When managing your yard waste during the autumn months, city ordinances strictly prohibit blowing leaves into the street or storm gutters. This pollutes local creeks and causes severe street flooding during winter rains.
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryThe City of Rocklin offers convenient, free drop-off locations for Christmas tree recycling every year at Johnson-Springview Park and Twin Oaks Park between December 26th and the first week of January. Trees must be bare with no flocking or ornaments.
Spring
April - MayResidents are highly encouraged to participate in Rocklin's annual Spring Clean Up Day. This community-wide event is a great opportunity to responsibly dispose of large items, volunteer, and help keep local creeks and waterways free of pollution.
About Rocklin Waste Management
The Highly Unique 'One Big Bin' System in Rocklin
Placer County utilizes an incredibly unique and convenient waste management system known as the 'One Big Bin.' Instead of manually separating your plastics, cardboard, and aluminum into a designated blue recycling cart at home, Rocklin residents toss all standard household trash, recyclables, and food waste directly into their grey garbage cart. This combined material is transported to the Western Placer Waste Management Authority's (WPWMA) Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). There, state-of-the-art technology—including screens, magnets, and optical sorting systems—automatically separates the valuable recyclables and organics from the true trash.
How Organic Food Waste is Handled Without Sorting
To comply with California's SB 1383 organics recycling mandates, Rocklin did not force residents to adapt to a new three-cart system. Thanks to the MRF's advanced sorting capabilities, you simply throw food scraps—like orange peels, coffee grounds, and leftover sandwiches—right into the same grey One Big Bin as your regular trash. Once the MRF sorts these organics out, they are transported to an anaerobic digester that breaks down the material to create nutrient-rich compost, simultaneously capturing methane gases to produce clean biofuel.
Strict Rules for the Green Yard Waste Cart
While recyclables and food waste go seamlessly into the grey garbage bin, Rocklin maintains a strict separation requirement for standard yard trimmings. Your green cart is exclusively reserved for landscape debris, such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds, and small branches. Keeping yard waste out of the One Big Bin ensures that massive volumes of plant material do not overwhelm the sorting facility, allowing it to be cleanly and efficiently processed into agricultural compost.
Handling Bulky Waste and Drop-Off Locations
Unlike some California cities that offer free curbside bulky item pickups on demand, oversized waste in Rocklin is handled differently. Standard residential service does not include free bulky pickups. Residents looking to dispose of mattresses, large appliances, or bulky furniture are encouraged to self-haul these materials directly to the Auburn Placer Transfer Station or the WPWMA facility in Lincoln. If you cannot transport the items yourself, you must contact Recology Auburn Placer to rent a temporary debris box or arrange a special paid collection.
Hazardous Waste: The Exception to the One Big Bin
While the One Big Bin system is remarkably convenient, it cannot process everything safely. Hazardous materials are strictly prohibited from both the grey and green carts. Items like household batteries, motor oil, fluorescent tubes, and wet paint pose significant fire and chemical risks to the automated sorting equipment and staff at the MRF. These dangerous items must be taken to the permanent HHW facility located at the WPWMA landfill or brought to one of the City of Rocklin's quarterly Universal Waste Collection events.
Drop-off Facilities
Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA)
3195 Athens Ave, Lincoln, CA 95648
Materials Accepted
Auburn Placer Transfer Station
12305 Shale Ridge Lane, Auburn, CA 95602
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really put my recycling in the garbage bin in Rocklin?
Yes. Rocklin utilizes Placer County's innovative 'One Big Bin' system. You place all your regular trash, recyclables (like glass, plastics, and cardboard), and food scraps into your single grey garbage cart. It is transported to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where advanced equipment and staff sort the recyclables out of the true trash.
Where do my food scraps go under SB 1383 rules?
Unlike cities that force residents to use a third organics bin, Rocklin residents place all food waste—including meat, bones, and bread—directly into the grey One Big Bin. The MRF separates these organics from the trash and sends them to an anaerobic digester to create compost and biofuel.
Does my trash collection change on Thanksgiving or Memorial Day?
No. Recology Auburn Placer only observes two holidays for schedule delays: Christmas Day and New Year's Day. For all other holidays, including Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, you must place your bins at the curb on your normal scheduled collection day.
How do I get rid of an old mattress or couch in Rocklin?
Because free curbside bulky item pickup is not included in standard residential service, you have two options: self-haul the large items to the Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) landfill in Lincoln, or call Recology Auburn Placer to schedule a special, paid curbside pickup.