Black Bin (Trash)
Lids must be completely closed to prevent litter scattering and access by pests. Ensure all household trash is bagged before placement.
Accepted Items
- ✓Soiled plastic wrap and grocery bags
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam blocks, cups, or food trays
- ✓Worn-out textiles, shoes, and clothing
- ✓Bagged pet waste and kitty litter
- ✓Disposable plastic gloves, wipes, and diapers
- ✓Mylar snack wrappers, chip bags, and juice pouches
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be empty, rinsed, and dry. Place items loosely inside the blue cart—do not bundle or bag them.
Accepted Items
- ✓Cardboard boxes and clean paperboard packaging (must be flattened)
- ✓Clean, dry paper, junk mail, newspapers, and telephone books
- ✓Empty aluminum cans, clean foil, and baking trays
- ✓Steel, tin, and bi-metal food cans
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars (rinsed, lids removed)
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, jugs, tubs, and food jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic shopping bags or trash liners
- ✕Styrofoam packaging
- ✕Garden hoses, wires, or rope
- ✕Heavily soiled cardboard or greasy pizza boxes
- ✕Needles, medical waste, or electronic devices
Yard Waste Bin
Place organic materials loosely inside the green cart. No plastic bags, rocks, soil, pet feces, concrete, or palm fronds are allowed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings, weeds, leaves, and flowers
- ✓Hedge trimmings, yard prunings, and small branches
- ✓All food leftovers (cooked/raw meat, fish, poultry, bones, dairy)
- ✓Fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, and filters
- ✓100% fiber-based food-soiled paper towels, paper plates, and napkins
- ✓Greasy cardboard pizza boxes and unpainted clean wood scraps
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 free bulky collections per calendar year
Placement
Call the Customer Care Center at (805) 933-0100 to schedule your collection. Do not place bulky items on the street until you receive a confirmation call from Athens Services.
Accepted
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Couches, tables, chairs, and household furniture
- ✓ Large household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Water heaters and stoves
- ✓ Rugs and carpet rolls
- ✓ Tree trunks and large limbs
Not Accepted
- ✕ Automobile parts and engine components
- ✕ Construction and home demolition debris
- ✕ Household hazardous waste
- ✕ Extremely heavy items (such as pool tables or pianos)
The first two pickup requests are free. Any additional bulky collection requests within the same year will be processed for an added service fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If an observed holiday falls on a weekday (Monday through Saturday), collection services for the remaining days of that holiday week will be delayed by exactly one day.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling collections follow the same holiday delay timeline as standard garbage pickup.
If an observed holiday lands on a Sunday, there will be no delay in regular weekday collection service.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Film Plastics Out of the Blue Bin
Never place plastic grocery bags, bubble wrap, or cellophane inside your blue recycling cart. These thin films wrap tightly around municipal sorting machinery, halting sorting operations and threatening worker safety.
Ditch the Flocked Holiday Trees
Only natural, unadorned trees can be composted in the seasonal curbside program. Artificial snow (flocking) contains chemical materials that contaminate the organic composting mulch, rendering the batch landfill-bound.
Sort Palms and Cactus to the Trash
Keep fibrous palm fronds, cactus pads, and heavy yucca out of the green bin. Their extremely tough composition resists commercial composting, which causes machinery damage and jams municipal processing grinders.
Seasonal Information
Post-Holiday Tree Recycling
December - JanuaryReal, undecorated Christmas trees are collected on your regular pickup day from December 26th through the third Saturday in January. Remove all stands, lights, tinsel, and decorations. Trees over 6 feet long must be cut in half and placed adjacent to your regular carts.
High Wind and Foothill Autumn Leaf Fall
October - DecemberSanta Paula experiences strong seasonal winds and heavy autumn leaf drop. To prevent street gutter blockages and stormwater runoff issues, sweep all leaves and garden clippings directly into your green organics cart. Never blow or pile leaves in the street.
About Santa Paula Waste Management
Santa Paula's Heritage Valley Refuse Framework
In the historic agricultural community of Santa Paula, residential waste, recycling, and organic programs are organized through an exclusive franchise agreement with Athens Services. In tandem with the City's Public Works Department, this coordinated service model ensures that the picturesque Heritage Valley remains clean, safe, and fully aligned with environmental guidelines set by the Ventura County Public Works Agency.
Unified Organic Scrap Collection (SB 1383)
Following California State Senate Bill 1383 climate directives, Santa Paula residents must separate all household organic waste and kitchen scraps from their standard landfill trash. Athens Services simplifies this process by allowing residents to commingle food scraps—such as raw produce, meat, dairy, and bones—directly with their garden trimmings in the green organics container. This organic feedstock is composted regionally to minimize harmful methane emissions.
Curbside Placement and Placement Clearance
To maintain clean, narrow, orchard-adjacent streets, residents must set their color-coded carts at the street edge either the night before or strictly by 7:00 AM on their assigned collection morning. Carts should be spaced two to three feet away from other bins, parked vehicles, mailboxes, and low-hanging tree branches, ensuring the automated collection trucks have unblocked hydraulic access.
Ventura County Hazardous Waste Collaboratives
To prevent toxic substances from contaminating regional soils and entering the sensitive Santa Clara River watershed, Santa Paula residents are prohibited from throwing hazardous waste into regular carts. The City actively partners with the County of Ventura to sponsor seasonal Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off events. These periodic events provide local residents with a safe, convenient way to drop off leftover paints, chemical pesticides, motor oil, and batteries free of charge.
Drop-off Facilities
Santa Clara River Valley HHW Collection Facility (SCRV)
950 West Linden Drive, East of Fillmore, CA
Materials Accepted
Del Norte Regional Recycling and Transfer Station
111 South Del Norte Boulevard, Oxnard, CA 93030
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an organic food scrap kitchen pail in Santa Paula?
Athens Services and the City of Santa Paula support residential organic compliance by providing educational resources and tools. You can contact Athens Services Customer Care at (805) 933-0100 to find out about upcoming regional food waste pail distributions or green waste outreach events.
Where should I dispose of used alkaline and rechargeable household batteries?
Never throw batteries into your regular household trash or recycling carts. Instead, you should tape battery terminal ends with non-conductive tape to prevent short circuits, and drop them off at Ventura County Household Hazardous Waste collection events.
What is the process for recycling real Christmas trees in Santa Paula?
Athens Services will recycle natural trees on your regular collection day between December 26th and the third Saturday in January. Cut your tree into sections under 6 feet long, remove all stands, lights, and ornaments, and place it at the curb next to your carts. Flocked trees are not accepted in the organics program.
What should I do if my collection bin was missed or damaged on service day?
Verify that your containers were roadside by 7:00 AM. If a bin was missed, or if your container has a broken lid or wheels, contact the Athens Customer Care Center immediately at (805) 933-0100 to request a cart repair or a replacement pickup.