Gray Bin (Trash)
Trash must fit inside the cart with the lid closed flat to prevent spillage, pest access, and litter. Extra bagged garbage can be placed next to your cart only with pre-purchased overage stickers.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags, wraps, and packaging films
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam cups, blocks, and food trays
- ✓Disposable baby diapers, wipes, and personal hygiene products
- ✓Mylar snack packaging, potato chip bags, and juice pouches
- ✓Broken mirrors, drinking glasses, and household ceramics
- ✓Bagged pet feces and kitty litter
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables; place all items completely loose, empty, and rinsed clean inside the blue cart. Only shredded paper should be bagged in a clear plastic bag before placement.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paperboard boxes (flattened)
- ✓Dry paper, junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (emptied and clean)
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans and clean foil baking trays
- ✓Steel, tin, and bi-metal soup or food cans
- ✓Rigid plastics marked with numbers #1, #2, and #5
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags or grocery film
- ✕Styrofoam blocks or packaging peanuts
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, or wire hangers
- ✕Greasy pizza boxes or food-soiled paper
- ✕Alkaline or lithium batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Keep yard waste loose or contained within certified BPI compostable bags. Keep dirt, sod, landscaping rocks, animal waste, and palm fronds out of this cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Kitchen food scraps (raw/cooked meat, bones, dairy, bread, fruit)
- ✓Food-soiled paper towels, napkins, and greasy pizza boxes
- ✓Grass clippings, yard weeds, leaves, and flowers
- ✓Tree trimmings and prunings under 6 inches wide and 4 feet long
- ✓BPI-certified compostable plastic bags or plain paper bags
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
3 free collection appointments per calendar year
Placement
Items must be set out at your curbside by 6:00 AM on your pre-arranged collection morning, clear of parked vehicles, mailboxes, and low branches.
Accepted
- ✓ Up to two cubic yards of reusable materials boxed or bagged
- ✓ Up to five electronic waste items (TVs, laptops, computer monitors)
- ✓ Up to two major appliances or bulky items (Freon appliances count as two)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (paints, pesticides, chemicals)
- ✕ Standard construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Automotive parts and car engines
- ✕ Commercial or business waste
The three annual reuse cleanups are free. Extra pickups or items exceeding the standard limits can be scheduled through GreenWaste Recovery for an added fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
GreenWaste Recovery observes Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your regular collection day falls on or after one of these observed holidays, your collection will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that holiday week.
Yard Waste Exception
All trash, recycling, and organics collections shift uniformly during holiday delay weeks.
Regular collections proceed on schedule on normal weekdays for all other holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Pizza Boxes Belong in the Organics Cart
Cardboard pizza boxes that are stained with food grease, cooking oils, or leftover cheese cannot be processed as clean recycling. Place food-soiled pizza boxes directly in your green organics cart to compost them safely.
Keep Plastic Film Out of the Blue Cart
Never toss loose grocery bags, bubble wrap, or plastic wrap in your blue recycling cart. These soft materials wind tightly around the mechanical sorting rollers at processing centers, halting processing lines.
Separate Fibrous Palm Fronds
Palm fronds, bamboo stalks, and thick succulents do not break down in rapid municipal composting cycles. Place palm branches strictly in your gray trash cart to prevent machinery jams.
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Fall and Gutter Safety
October - DecemberSeaside experiences heavy seasonal leaf drop in autumn. Sweep loose leaves into your green organics cart, and avoid blowing or piling them into public street gutters, as they block storm drains and cause street flooding.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Recycling
December - JanuaryNatural, undecorated Christmas trees are composted for free at ReGen Monterey. Residents must remove all tinsel, lights, stands, and ornaments. Flocked trees are not accepted and must go to the landfill.
About Seaside Waste Management
Seaside's Coastal Resource Recovery and Environmental Partnership
In the scenic coastal community of Seaside, California, curbside garbage, recycling, and organic programs are operated through an exclusive franchise agreement with GreenWaste Recovery. All local residential refuse is collected weekly and delivered to ReGen Monterey (formerly MRWMD) in neighboring Marina for processing. This partnership is tailored to keep the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary clean while meeting state environmental mandates.
Organics and Food Scrap Diversion in Monterey County
To strictly comply with California Senate Bill 1383, Seaside residents use their green organics cart to divert all food scraps and landscaping waste from landfills. Instead of traditional trash disposal, kitchen leftovers, food-soiled papers, and lawn clippings are processed at local state-of-the-art composting facilities. This process converts daily organic waste into clean, nutrient-rich agricultural compost and renewable energy.
The Three Bulky Item Reuse Collections Program
To minimize illegal roadside dumping and keep local neighborhoods beautiful, Seaside single-family homes can arrange up to three free on-call bulky item collection appointments per year. This specialized reuse program allows residents to discard up to two cubic yards of reusable boxed or bagged materials, five electronic waste items, and two large appliances per visit at no extra charge.
Proper Cart Spacing and Curb Placement Etiquette
To ensure reliable collection and avoid missed services, Seaside residents must roll out all color-coded containers by 6:00 AM on service morning. Carts should be placed side-by-side on the street with wheels flush against the curb, leaving exactly two feet of clear space between each container to allow the automated truck arms to lift them safely.
Drop-off Facilities
ReGen Monterey (formerly Monterey Regional Waste Management District)
14201 Del Monte Blvd, Marina, CA 93933
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule my free annual bulky waste reuse pickup in Seaside?
You can schedule your free bulky item cleanup by calling GreenWaste Recovery Customer Service at 831-920-6707. Be prepared to list the specific appliances, e-waste, or boxes you plan to place curbside when making your appointment.
What is the holiday trash collection delay rule for Thanksgiving in Seaside?
Since Thanksgiving is observed on a Thursday, Thursday routes are delayed to Friday, and Friday routes are collected on Saturday. Standard schedules resume the following week.
Can I put compostable plastic bags in my green organics bin?
Yes, but they must be officially BPI-certified compostable plastic bags (meeting ASTM D6400 standards). Standard grocery shopping bags or other biodegradable plastic films are treated as contamination and must go in the trash.
Where can Seaside residents safely dispose of household chemicals and paints for free?
Residential customers can drop off household hazardous wastes, including paints, solvents, auto fluids, and home cleaners, at no cost at the ReGen Monterey HHW Facility in Marina. Bring items in secure containers.