Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Santa Ana
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on your trash day)
Yard Waste
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on your trash day)
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day (or after 4:00 PM the evening before)
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Curbside trash and recycling services provided by Republic Services are billed directly through the City of Santa Ana's Municipal Utility Services (MUS) alongside water and sewer charges.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, In-Person
Black Bin (Trash)
All trash should be bagged to prevent litter. Carts must be placed at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and stored out of public view by midnight on collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Non-recyclable household garbage
- ✓Styrofoam
- ✓Diapers
- ✓Pet waste
- ✓Broken ceramics
- ✓Treated or painted wood scraps
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Items must be clean, dry, and placed loosely in the blue cart. Never bag your recyclables.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard
- ✓Paper and junk mail
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Rigid plastics (bottles, jugs, and tubs)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Greasy pizza boxes
- ✕Food waste
- ✕Tanglers (hoses, wires, cords)
- ✕Styrofoam packaging
Yard Waste Bin
Do not use plastic bags or compostable bio-plastics. You may use a paper bag to contain food scraps before placing them into the green cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings and leaves
- ✓Weeds and small branches
- ✓Food scraps (meat, bones, dairy, produce)
- ✓Food-soiled paper products
- ✓Coffee grounds and tea bags
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
4 free collections annually for curbside cart residents; 10 items per quarter per unit for multi-family bin residents.
Placement
Set items safely at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled pickup date. Ensure items do not block the sidewalk.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (sofas, mattresses, tables)
- ✓ Large household appliances
- ✓ Consumer electronics
- ✓ Excess bagged trash (up to 4 bags)
- ✓ Bagged yard waste (up to 20 bags)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals)
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris (concrete, dirt)
- ✕ Vehicle tires and car bodies
- ✕ Any single item too heavy for two workers to lift safely
If you exhaust your free annual pickups, additional bulky collections can be scheduled directly with Republic Services for a predetermined fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a designated holiday falls on a weekday, trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and yard waste follow the same one-day delay as trash and recycling.
If the holiday falls on a weekend, your standard collection schedule remains completely unaffected.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
December to JanuaryHoliday trees are collected curbside for three weeks following Christmas Day. Ensure trees are bare (no lights, ornaments, or stands). If a tree is over 6 feet tall, cut it in half. Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be cut up and placed in the black trash cart.
Spring
March to MayDuring peak landscaping season, remember that if you exceed your green cart's capacity, you can use one of your four free annual bulky item pickups to dispose of up to twenty 30-gallon bags of yard waste.
Year-Round
January to DecemberSenate Bill 1383 requires random cart inspections to check for cross-contamination. Follow the lid labels carefully to avoid fines, ensuring recyclables go in the blue bin and organics exclusively in the green bin.
Local Tips & Community Info
Republic Services Collection Guidelines
In Santa Ana, residential waste management is exclusively contracted through Republic Services. The city operates on a modern three-cart system designed to maximize diversion rates and keep neighborhoods clean. Every single-family home is assigned a specific weekly collection day based on their exact address route. To maintain a tidy streetscape, the city strictly mandates how and when you present your bins for service. Using the official address lookup map provided by the city is the best way to determine your exact pickup schedule, as routing boundaries can occasionally change.
Placement Times and Storage Rules
Unlike many municipalities that allow morning-of placement, Santa Ana has specific timeframes for setting out your carts. Residents may place their containers at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. on the day prior to their scheduled collection. When staging your carts, leave at least one foot of clearance between each bin and two feet of space from vehicles or mailboxes. The handles must face your house so the automated truck arms can easily grab them. After the truck arrives, all carts must be retrieved and stored out of public view before midnight on your collection day.
Sorting Requirements: Gray, Blue, and Green Carts
Proper waste sorting is critical to avoid contamination tags. Your gray-lidded cart is meant for traditional household garbage that cannot be recycled. The blue-lidded cart is for clean recyclables, including flattened cardboard, plastic jugs, and glass bottles, which should be tossed in loosely without plastic bags. The green-lidded cart is dedicated entirely to organics. This includes yard trimmings, grass clippings, and all food scraps, such as coffee grounds and leftover meal prep waste. Mixing regular trash into the green or blue bins violates state environmental mandates.
Requesting Your Four Annual Bulky Item Pickups
Santa Ana residents receive generous allowances for oversized waste disposal. Each household with standard curbside cart service is eligible for up to four free bulky item pickups per calendar year. During a single appointment, you can place up to four large items—such as a couch, mattress, or broken appliance—or up to twenty 30-gallon bags of yard waste at the curb. To utilize this perk, you must call Republic Services customer support at (657) 467-6220 at least a few days ahead of time. Pickups generally occur within five business days of the request.
Holiday Collection Delays
Republic Services recognizes six primary holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When any of these major holidays falls on a Monday through Friday, all subsequent collections for that week are pushed back by exactly one day. For instance, if the Fourth of July lands on a Tuesday, Tuesday's normal route will be collected on Wednesday, and the week finishes with Friday's route being serviced on Saturday. If the holiday occurs on a weekend, your standard service day remains completely unaffected.
Managing Missed Pickups and Cart Issues
If you adhered to the 4:00 p.m. set-out rule and provided proper clearance but still experienced a skipped pickup, quick action is required. You can report a missed service by calling the Santa Ana Republic Services office at (657) 467-6220. The customer service team can dispatch a recovery truck, usually within twenty-four hours. This same phone number is used for requesting cart repairs, such as fixing broken wheels or replacing cracked lids, ensuring your household waste containment remains secure.
Drop-off Facilities
Anaheim Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
1071 North Blue Gum Street, Anaheim, CA 92806
Materials Accepted
Irvine Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
6411 Oak Canyon (Next to City Yard), Irvine, CA 92618
Materials Accepted
Huntington Beach HHW Center
17121 Nichols Street (Use Gate 6), Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How many free bulky item pickups do I get in Santa Ana?
Residents with curbside cart collection receive four free bulky item pickups per year. Each pickup covers up to four large items, four 30-gallon trash bags, or up to twenty 30-gallon yard waste bags. Multi-family complexes with large bin service are eligible for up to 10 bulky items per unit, per quarter.
What is the holiday trash schedule for Republic Services in Santa Ana?
Republic Services delays curbside collection by one day if a major holiday falls on a weekday. The six recognized holidays are New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Weekend holidays do not impact the schedule.
Can I put food waste in my regular black trash cart?
No. Under California's SB 1383 state mandate, all food scraps—including meat, bones, dairy, and food-soiled paper—must be placed in your green organics cart. You can transport scraps to the cart using a kitchen pail or paper bags, but never use plastic or 'compostable' bio-plastic bags.
Where can I legally dispose of used motor oil in Santa Ana?
Curbside trash and recycling customers can request a free motor oil collection jug and oil filter bag directly from Republic Services by calling 657-467-6220. Once filled, you can schedule a free pickup and place the materials next to your carts on your designated service day.