Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for San Juan Capistrano
Trash Day
Trash is collected once per week, Monday through Friday, depending on your neighborhood route.
Recycling
Recycling is collected weekly on the same day as regular trash.
Yard Waste
Organics and yard waste (green cart) are collected weekly on your regular collection day.
Set Out Time
By 6:30 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste services are billed directly by CR&R Environmental Services, with monthly rates tiered based on your selected cart size (35, 65, or 96 gallons).
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail
Pro Tip / Discount
Free walkout service is available for eligible elderly or disabled residents who are unable to bring carts to the curb.
Black or Dark Gray Bin (Trash)
All household refuse must be securely bagged and fit entirely loose within the container so the lid rests flat. Forcing an overfilled container or placing loose extra bags on top will trigger a $29.33 municipal overflow charge.
Accepted Items
- ✓Unrecyclable plastic packaging and chip wrappers
- ✓Flimsy plastic grocery sacks and clean cling film layers
- ✓Diapers, personal sanitary wipes, and dog feces bags
- ✓Broken home glass fragments, mirror glass, and ceramics
- ✓Palm fronds, yucca leaves, and stringy landscape trimmings
- ✓Waxed cardboard containers and multi-material consumer trash
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Recyclables must be deposited loose, empty, dry, and entirely unbagged inside the blue container. Heavily soiled items or liquids will contaminate the entire load and trigger a $29.33 contamination fee.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean aluminum beverage cans and steel soup tins
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (clear, brown, and green tints)
- ✓Rigid plastic containers, jugs, and laundry tubs labeled #1-#6
- ✓Flattened dry cardboard boxes and clean paperboard packaging
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, flyers, and white office documents
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic grocery sacks or stretch wraps
- ✕Polystyrene (Styrofoam) foam blocks or packing peanuts
- ✕Food-contaminated pizza boxes or greasy wax liners
- ✕Consumer household batteries or electronics
- ✕Palm fronds or yard green waste trimmings
Yard Waste Bin
Yard vegetation and food scraps should be loaded loose directly into the green cart. Do not encapsulate organics in traditional plastic bags or use metallic wire ties, as they break processing compost machinery.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fresh lawn clippings, grass thatch, and garden weeds
- ✓Dry autumn leaves, shrub prunings, twigs, and flowers
- ✓Tree branches under 4 inches in diameter and under 4 feet long
- ✓Household food scraps, fruit skins, and vegetable trimmings
- ✓Meat fragments, poultry bones, dairy scraps, and bread crusts
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
On-Call Service Tiers Available
Placement
Oversized bulk items must be positioned neatly at the street curb edge by 6:30 AM on your confirmed appointment date. Do not block active traffic lanes, pedestrian walkways, or standard automated carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home furniture (sofas, mattresses, tables, recliners)
- ✓ Major household appliances (washers, dryers, water heaters)
- ✓ White goods and refrigerators (Freon handled safely by hauler)
- ✓ Consumer electronics (television sets, computers, monitors)
- ✓ Excess green waste bundles or tied cardboard stacks
Not Accepted
- ✕ Liquid chemicals, automotive fluids, and fuel tanks
- ✕ Loose construction demolition aggregates (drywall sheets, concrete blocks)
- ✕ Automotive tires, vehicle batteries, or engine components
- ✕ Loose uncontained general garage garbage bags
Once a household exhausts their free allocation threshold within a booking, a nominal fee of $13.92 is charged for each subsequent item commencing with the fifth item.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When a major observed calendar holiday occurs on a scheduled weekday, the collection route for that holiday and all subsequent pickup days for the remainder of the week will be delayed by exactly one business day. Regular Friday neighborhood routes are completed on Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Green organic waste and recycling collection schedules follow the identical one-day delay structure implemented for regular trash during holiday service shifts.
If an official calendar holiday falls naturally on a Saturday or Sunday, standard Monday through Friday residential collection loops continue completely unaffected without any service delays.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Summer Compost Heat and Pest Controls
June to SeptemberHigh Southern California summer temperatures accelerate biological decomposition in green carts, generating odors. To control flies and pest development, store your organic bin in a shaded spot, sprinkle baking soda inside, keep the lid sealed tight, and freeze raw meat scraps until collection day.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Mulching
December to JanuaryNatural Christmas trees are collected curbside by CR&R during the first two consecutive weeks following December 25. Residents must strip away all tinsel, metallic stands, lights, and non-organic ornaments. Trees exceeding 6 feet in length must be sawn completely in half before being placed beside your carts.
Equestrian Zone Storm Drainage Protection
November to MarchDuring heavy seasonal rain events, ensure carts are staged properly on level pavement and not placed inside active gutter channels. Keeping neighborhood storm paths clear prevents equestrian trail runoff from sweeping trash into local creeks.
Local Tips & Community Info
San Juan Capistrano Trash Pickup Schedule & Bin Placement
Residents of San Juan Capistrano rely on CR&R Environmental Services for all curbside solid waste collection. Your regular trash pickup day depends on your specific neighborhood route. To ensure smooth service, it is highly recommended to place your automated carts at the curb by 6:30 a.m. on your designated collection morning. When setting out your bins, leave at least one foot of space between each cart and maintain a three-foot clearance from vehicles, mailboxes, and fire hydrants. Make sure the wheels and handles are facing your home, and ensure that all lids are fully closed to prevent litter and pests.
Recycling & Green Waste Collection Rules
The city utilizes a three-cart system to encourage sustainability and reduce landfill waste. The black cart is strictly for household refuse, the blue cart is for recyclables like glass, clean cardboard, plastic containers, and aluminum, and the green cart is dedicated to yard waste and organics. When recycling, always empty and lightly rinse containers before tossing them in. For your organics cart, you can dispose of grass clippings, dry leaves, weed trimmings, and kitchen food scraps, which aligns with California's organic waste recycling mandates. Remember that putting non-recyclable materials in the blue or green bins can contaminate the entire truckload, sending those materials to the landfill instead.
Bulk Waste & E-Waste Disposal Services
We all have those moments when we need to dispose of items that simply will not fit in a standard trash can. Fortunately, San Juan Capistrano residents are eligible for bulky item pick-ups directly from CR&R. You can schedule these collections for large appliances, old furniture, mattresses, and electronic waste like TVs and computers. It is important to call CR&R customer service ahead of time to arrange the pickup so their drivers are prepared. Do not just leave large items on the curb without a scheduled appointment, as they will not be collected and could result in a neighborhood code violation.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Drop-Off Options
Disposing of hazardous materials safely is a major priority for the community. You cannot throw chemicals, batteries, fluorescent tubes, or old paint into your regular curbside carts. Luckily, San Juan Capistrano is home to the Prima Deshecha Landfill, located conveniently at 32250 Avenida La Pata. The county operates a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center at this location where residents can drop off dangerous materials free of charge. Make sure you transport these chemicals in sturdy, non-leaking containers, and never mix different types of hazardous waste together during transit.
Holiday Delays & Missed Pickup Guidelines
Service interruptions happen occasionally, mostly due to major national holidays. CR&R typically observes New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If your regular collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, your trash pickup will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week. If it is not a holiday and you believe your bins were accidentally skipped, you should contact CR&R's customer support line promptly. Missed pickups are usually resolved within 24 hours of reporting them to the service provider.
Drop-off Facilities
Prima Deshecha Landfill
32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Materials Accepted
San Juan Capistrano HHW Collection Center
32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How many free bulk waste pickups do San Juan Capistrano residents get?
Residential customers are typically entitled to two free bulky item collections per calendar year through CR&R. You must contact their customer service team in advance to schedule the pickup for your regular trash collection day.
Where can I safely dispose of old paint and batteries in San Juan Capistrano?
You can bring your household hazardous waste, including paint, batteries, and e-waste, to the collection center at the Prima Deshecha Landfill located at 32250 Avenida La Pata. This drop-off is free for Orange County residents.
Who handles missed trash collections in the city?
If your bins were missed on your scheduled service day, you need to contact CR&R Environmental Services directly at (877) 728-0446. Their customer support team will investigate and typically dispatch a driver to collect your waste by the next business day.