Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Santa Barbara
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Varies by neighborhood zone
Yard Waste
Varies by neighborhood zone
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Trash and recycling charges are bundled into your monthly City of Santa Barbara municipal utility bill alongside water and wastewater services.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay (ACH), Mail, Phone, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Qualifying low-income households may receive a waiver for the Utility Users Tax along with payment assistance programs like LIHEAP.
Grey, Black, or Brown (Legacy MarBorg carts) Bin (Trash)
Due to the Santa Barbara County ReSource Center's sorting technology, you MUST place all food waste and compostable plastics in the trash cart. Do not put food in the yard waste cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Regular household garbage
- ✓ALL food scraps (meat, dairy, bones)
- ✓Food-soiled paper and pizza boxes
- ✓Diapers and pet waste
- ✓Styrofoam and packing peanuts
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Biodegradable or compostable plastics
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be clean, dry, and loose. Do not bag items in plastic garbage bags. If recycling batteries, they must be in a clear bag placed ON TOP of the cart lid, not inside.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paper boxes
- ✓Office paper, magazines, and junk mail
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Rigid plastics larger than 6 inches
Do NOT Include
- ✕Saran wrap and flexible plastic films
- ✕Biodegradable or compostable plastics
- ✕Food waste or liquids
- ✕Loose batteries or electronics
- ✕Styrofoam
Yard Waste Bin
This cart is strictly for green yard trimmings. Do not place food waste, food-soiled paper, dirt, rocks, or compostable plastics in the green cart in the City of Santa Barbara.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves and weeds
- ✓Ivy and flowers
- ✓Small branches and prunings
- ✓Plants and natural yard trimmings
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Four (4) free pickups per calendar year
Placement
Items must be placed at the roadside by 6:00 AM on your scheduled collection day. Any items not communicated to MarBorg during the scheduling phone call will be left behind as illegal dumping.
Accepted
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Furniture (couches, tables, chairs)
- ✓ Large appliances (refrigerators, washers)
- ✓ Electronic waste (TVs, computers)
- ✓ Tires
- ✓ Bundled and tied green waste
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and remodel material
- ✕ Hazardous waste and wet paint
- ✕ Boats and jacuzzis
- ✕ Unbundled yard waste
- ✕ Professional tree trimmings
- ✕ Items exceeding 5 feet or 60 lbs (unless pre-approved)
The four annual collections are free for city residents. Additional pickups or loads exceeding the 5-item limit will require a paid roll-off box or a special haul fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a recognized holiday falls on a weekday, residential pickup of trash, recycling, and yard waste will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week (e.g., Monday pickup moves to Tuesday).
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste and recycling collections follow the exact same holiday delay schedule as standard trash.
If a holiday falls on a weekend, your weekday collection schedule is completely unaffected. A reminder email is typically sent to residential customers prior to each holiday.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryMarBorg provides post-holiday Christmas tree recycling. Place your unflocked tree at the curb on your normal yard waste collection day. Ensure all lights, tinsel, ornaments, and the wooden/plastic stand are completely removed.
Fall/Winter
November - MarchDuring the rainy season or after wildfires, do not put heavy mud, contaminated soil, or rocks into your curbside bins. Heavy loads will break the trucks. Contact MarBorg for specialized debris boxes if your property experiences mudslides or severe storm damage.
Local Tips & Community Info
Preserving the American Riviera: Local Waste Management
Protecting the pristine coastal environment of Santa Barbara is a major priority for both local government and its citizens. To effectively handle municipal solid waste, the city has established a long-standing partnership with MarBorg Industries. As the exclusive franchised waste hauler, MarBorg provides comprehensive trash, recycling, and organic composting services to all residential and commercial properties within the city limits. Adhering to local sorting codes and collection schedules helps reduce pollution along the coastline and ensures Santa Barbara meets California's rigorous environmental standards.
Curbside Etiquette and Collection Morning Times
To maintain beautiful neighborhoods and ensure that collection vehicles can safely access containers, residents must follow specific set-out protocols. Your waste and recycling carts should be placed at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your designated service day. Carts need to be placed side-by-side with at least two feet of distance between them. Keep them clear of low-hanging branches, mailboxes, and parked cars. After the MarBorg trucks have serviced your address, city ordinances require that all bins be removed from the public right-of-way and safely stored on your private property by sunset.
Mastering the Blue Recycling Cart
Santa Barbara boasts an aggressive recycling program aimed at diverting maximum tonnage from the Tajiguas Landfill. The blue cart is exclusively for dry, unbagged recyclables. You can confidently recycle corrugated cardboard, junk mail, office paper, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and rigid plastics. It is highly recommended to rinse out food residue from plastic and glass containers to prevent the contamination of paper products during transport. Never place plastic bags, styrofoam, garden hoses, or tangled electronic cords into the blue bin, as these items cause severe damage to the sorting facility's machinery.
Composting Organics and Yard Trimmings
In response to California's SB 1383 mandate, Santa Barbara requires all households to participate in mandatory organics recycling. Your green cart is no longer just for landscaping debris like leaves and grass clippings. It must now be used to discard all household food waste, including vegetable peels, coffee grounds, meat, bones, and food-soiled paper such as greasy pizza boxes. To keep pests at bay, residents can freeze their food scraps before collection day or use brown paper bags to contain the organic material. Traditional plastic bags are strictly forbidden in the green cart.
Bulky Item Pickups for Large Household Goods
Getting rid of an old mattress, broken refrigerator, or dilapidated sofa is completely hassle-free thanks to MarBorg's residential bulky item program. Single-family homes in Santa Barbara are entitled to unlimited bulky item collections throughout the year, provided they are scheduled in advance. You cannot simply leave large items on the sidewalk hoping they will be taken. To arrange a pickup, you must contact MarBorg Industries directly at (805) 963-1852. Certain hazardous materials, such as wet paint and motor oil, are not accepted through this program and must be taken to a specialized facility.
Safe Disposal of Hazardous and Electronic Waste
Toxic chemicals and electronic devices must never be thrown into your standard curbside carts. Santa Barbara residents can safely dispose of these dangerous materials at the Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center (CHWCC), located at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. The facility accepts household items like antifreeze, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and old computers. Utilizing this facility is free for local households and is crucial for preventing harmful toxins from leaching into the local groundwater or the Pacific Ocean.
Holiday Service Interruptions
MarBorg Industries observes six major holidays during the year: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If your standard collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, your curbside service will be delayed by a single day for the remainder of that week. For example, a Tuesday pickup interrupted by a holiday will be serviced on Wednesday, and the week's schedule will wrap up with Friday collections happening on Saturday. Regular schedules always resume the following week.
Drop-off Facilities
Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center at UCSB
Bldg. 565 Henry T. Yang Drive, Isla Vista, CA 93106
Materials Accepted
MarBorg Downtown Recycling Center (ABOP)
132 Nopalitos St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Materials Accepted
South Coast Recycling & Transfer Station
4430 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I put food waste in the City of Santa Barbara?
Put all food scraps, meat, dairy, and food-soiled paper directly into your regular trash cart. Santa Barbara uses the County ReSource Center to mechanically separate organics from the garbage to create compost and energy, so you do not need to separate food into the yard waste cart.
How do I schedule a bulky item pickup in Santa Barbara?
Call MarBorg Industries at (805) 963-1852 to schedule an appointment. All city households, including renters, receive four free pickups per year. You can set out a maximum of five items per appointment, and they must be placed at the curb by 6:00 AM.
How do I recycle household batteries and old cell phones?
You can recycle these directly at the curb. Tape the positive ends of the batteries, place them along with any old cell phones inside a clear plastic Ziploc bag, and set the sealed bag on top of the lid of your blue recycling cart on your normal collection day.
Where can I dispose of old paint and hazardous chemicals?
You can drop off oil-based paints and severe chemicals at the Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center at UCSB on weekends. For water-based latex paint, antifreeze, batteries, and motor oil (ABOP), you can visit the MarBorg Downtown Recycling Center on Nopalitos Street during the week.