Black Bin (Trash)
Set out by 6:30 AM on your collection day; place at the street side of the sidewalk, in the parkway, or in the driveway next to the street — never in the gutter or roadway.
Accepted Items
- ✓Household garbage
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
- ✓Broken household items
- ✓Diapers
- ✓Pet waste
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Place recycling out at 6:30 AM on collection day, not the night before, to help the city's Code Enforcement Division deter cart scavenging.
Accepted Items
- ✓Paper and cardboard
- ✓Aluminum and metal cans
- ✓Rigid plastic containers
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Clothing/textiles
- ✕Food-soiled paper
- ✕Electronics
- ✕Batteries
- ✕Styrofoam
Yard Waste Bin
Collected in the green organics cart as part of the city's SB 1383 mandatory organics recycling program; excess yard waste can also be dropped off at the quarterly Civic Center collection events.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Small branches
- ✓Food scraps
- ✓Food-soiled paper
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
6 requests per year per household
Placement
Schedule with Republic Services by phone at (800) 299-4898 or email [email protected], then place items at the curb on the scheduled date.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (couches, mattresses, bed frames, box springs)
- ✓ Doors
- ✓ Carpet
- ✓ Toilets
- ✓ Appliances (refrigerators, etc.)
- ✓ Electronics
- ✓ Used books (donated to local libraries)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction materials
- ✕ Demolition debris
- ✕ Dirt, rock, concrete
- ✕ Automobile parts
- ✕ Tires
- ✕ Household or auto batteries
- ✕ Oils
- ✕ Paints
- ✕ Fluorescent lights
- ✕ Propane tanks
- ✕ Medicine
- ✕ Hazardous waste
The six annual bulky item requests are included in standard residential service; the city also runs free quarterly bulky item, e-waste, and compost drop-off events at the Civic Center lot (First & Maclay) with proof of residency required.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Republic Services does not collect trash, recycling, or organics on any of the seven observed holidays listed above.
Yard Waste Exception
No separate yard waste exception is published; organics/green cart service follows the same holiday closures as trash and recycling.
The city does not publish a universal 'delayed by one day' rule on its own site — residents should confirm delay schedules directly with Republic Services at (800) 299-4898 for the specific week of an observed holiday.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Greasy Pizza Boxes Out of the Blue Cart
Cardboard with heavy grease or cheese residue contaminates an entire batch of recyclables. Tear off and compost the soiled sections in your green organics cart, and only recycle the clean, dry top of the box.
Don't Bag Your Recyclables in Plastic
Loose is better than bagged for the blue cart — sealed plastic bags of cans and bottles often get sent straight to the landfill because sorting equipment can't open them. Empty containers loose directly into the cart.
Rinse Before You Recycle
A half-full yogurt cup or soda can with liquid residue can spoil surrounding paper and cardboard in the same cart. A quick rinse at the sink keeps the load clean enough for actual recycling processors to accept.
Seasonal Information
Summer Heat
June–SeptemberSan Fernando Valley summers regularly push past 100°F, and the city opens designated cooling centers at Recreation Park and Las Palmas Park during heat alerts. Trash left out too long in this heat can attract pests faster, so residents are encouraged to bag food waste tightly and use the green organics cart rather than letting scraps sit in the black cart.
Fire Season Yard Cleanup
May–NovemberWith dry brush a wildfire concern across the San Fernando Valley, the city's spring and fall quarterly drop-off events (typically May and November) give residents an outlet for excess yard trimmings and dead vegetation beyond what fits in a weekly green cart.
Holiday Slowdowns
November–JanuaryCollection is skipped entirely on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day, so routes shift later in the week during these stretches — residents with a holiday-week service day should expect a one-day delay rather than a same-day pickup.
About San Fernando Waste Management
How Trash Collection Works in San Fernando
San Fernando is one of the smallest incorporated cities in Los Angeles County, and it handles waste through a single exclusive franchise agreement with Republic Services rather than allowing multiple private haulers to compete for routes. That means every household on a residential street is serviced on the same day, using the same black, blue, and green cart system. Because the city covers only about 2.4 square miles, routes tend to be compact, but residents still need to have carts out by the city's strict 6:30 AM curb time to avoid a missed pickup.
Curb Placement Rules That Are Stricter Than Most Cities
Unlike many neighboring Los Angeles-area cities that simply ask residents to set bins out 'the night before,' San Fernando's municipal code spells out exactly where carts may and may not go. Containers belong on the street side of the sidewalk, in the parkway, or in a driveway next to the street — never in the gutter or travel lane. Homes backing onto an alley must place carts at the property line without blocking alley traffic, and empty containers need to be pulled back in by 7 PM the same evening. These rules exist partly to support the city's active code enforcement team, which patrols on collection days specifically to prevent unauthorized scavenging from recycling carts.
A Once-a-Year Bulky Item Allowance, Plus Quarterly Drop-Off Events
San Fernando residents don't have unlimited on-call bulky pickups. Each household gets six scheduled bulky item pickup requests per year, with roughly three large items collected per visit, arranged directly with Republic Services by phone or email. For residents who accumulate more junk than that allows, the city supplements this with quarterly community drop-off events at the Civic Center parking lot (First Street and Maclay Avenue), which also fold in e-waste recycling, free compost giveaways, and — twice a year — a document shred day.
SB 1383 and the Push Toward Food Waste Composting
As with every California city, San Fernando's organics program is shaped by SB 1383, the state law requiring short-lived climate pollutant reductions through mandatory organics recycling. Residents are expected to route food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings into the green cart instead of the trash, and the city periodically hands out free kitchen countertop pails at its quarterly drop-off events to make in-home sorting easier. Multi-family properties and businesses fall under a parallel commercial recycling and organics guide published separately by the city.
Getting Set Up or Fixing a Billing Issue
New residents don't sign up with the city itself — service accounts, payments, and cart requests all run through Republic Services. San Fernando offers a slightly old-school touch here: residents can walk into City Hall on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday between noon and 4 PM to handle account questions in person, in addition to phone, email, and mailed payments to Republic's Phoenix, Arizona payment center.
Drop-off Facilities
San Fernando Civic Center Quarterly Drop-Off Event
Civic Center Parking Lot, First Street & Maclay Avenue, San Fernando, CA 91340
Materials Accepted
S.A.F.E. Collection Center (LA County Household Hazardous Waste)
See LA County SAFE Collection Centers list for the nearest location
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does San Fernando require recycling carts to be set out at 6:30 AM instead of the night before?
The city's Code Enforcement Division actively patrols on collection days to prevent scavengers from picking through recycling carts left out overnight. Setting your blue cart out the morning of pickup, rather than the evening before, is one of the main deterrents the city recommends.
How many bulky item pickups does a San Fernando household get each year?
Residents are allowed six bulky item pickup requests per year, with about three large items collected per request. Pickups must be scheduled in advance with Republic Services rather than left at the curb without notice.
Where does the City of San Fernando hold its bulky item and e-waste drop-off events?
Quarterly drop-off events take place in the Civic Center parking lot at the corner of First Street and Maclay Avenue, and also include e-waste collection, a free compost giveaway, and — twice a year — a document shredding day. Proof of residency is required.
Can I go to City Hall in person to set up or manage my trash service in San Fernando?
Yes. While billing and account services are run by Republic Services, residents can also handle trash-related account matters at the City Hall counter at 117 Macneil Street on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12 PM to 4 PM.