Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Spring Valley
Trash Day
Curbside trash pickup runs Monday through Friday, with your specific collection day determined by your neighborhood address.
Recycling
Recycling (blue cart) is collected weekly on the same day as your regular trash service.
Yard Waste
Organics and yard waste (green cart) are collected weekly on your regular collection day.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste services are billed directly by EDCO Disposal. You can manage your account and set up paperless automatic payments through the EDCO web portal or pay 24/7 over the phone.
Billing Cycle
Bi-Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, Drop Box
Gray Bin (Trash)
All domestic garbage items must fit completely loose inside the gray cart with the lid resting flat. Extra trash bags or loose clutter left next to the container will not be handled by automated arms.
Accepted Items
- ✓Unrecyclable plastic snack bags and multi-layer chip films
- ✓Diapers, personal facial wipes, and sanitary products
- ✓Dog feces and cat litter sealed securely in bags
- ✓Broken home glass fragments, mirror shards, and ceramics
- ✓Waxed cardboard components and single-use coffee cups
- ✓Worn-out rags, textiles, and composite trash elements
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All dry recyclables must be placed into the blue container loose, empty, dry, and entirely unbagged. Small paper fragments or shredded documents must be enclosed inside a paper bag to contain shreds.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean aluminum soda cans, tin food cans, and aluminum foil
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars of all colors (rinsed empty)
- ✓Rigid plastic containers, jugs, and tubs labeled #1 through #7
- ✓Flattened dry corrugated cardboard shipping boxes and paperboard
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, catalogs, and white office papers
- ✓Clean Styrofoam block packaging, cups, and trays (no packing peanuts)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose flimsy plastic grocery sacks or heavy stretch wrap films
- ✕Polystyrene loose packing peanuts
- ✕Food-stained pizza boxes or greasy paper liners
- ✕Electronic component parts or household consumer batteries
- ✕Textiles, clothes, towels, or old household carpets
Yard Waste Bin
Organics and kitchen scraps must be mixed completely loose within the green cart. Enclosing organic material or food leftovers in traditional plastic, compostable, or biodegradable bags is strictly barred.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fresh lawn clippings, weeds, ivy, and grass thatch
- ✓Dry garden leaves, flowers, shrub prunings, and twigs
- ✓Tree branches and palm fronds under weight/size limits
- ✓Household food scraps, cooked meat scraps, bones, and dairy remnants
- ✓Food-soiled paper napkins, paper towels, and greasy pizza boxes
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 pickups per calendar year (Up to 3 items per pickup)
Placement
Oversized bulk items must be positioned neatly at the street curb edge by 6:00 AM on the day of your approved collection appointment. Do not block active roadway traffic, pedestrian sidewalks, or access to automated carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Large home furniture (sofas, chairs, tables, mattresses)
- ✓ Major household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters)
- ✓ Consumer electronics and television sets (e-waste)
- ✓ Other large objects that can be handled safely by two persons
Not Accepted
- ✕ Commercial liquid chemicals or industrial hazardous waste
- ✕ Loose construction demolition debris (concrete blocks, drywall panels)
- ✕ Intact car bodies or heavy automotive components
- ✕ General loose trash bags stacked uncontained
Once a household exhausts their two free annual allocations, additional bulky item collection runs can be coordinated through EDCO for an established service handling fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When a major observed calendar holiday occurs on a scheduled weekday, the collection route for that holiday and all remaining pickup days for the rest of that week will be delayed by exactly one business day. Regular Friday neighborhood routes are completed on Saturday. Regular schedules remain unaffected if the holiday falls before your regular collection day.
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.
Holidays that fall naturally on a Saturday or Sunday trigger no changes, keeping the standard weekday residential pickup routines completely on time. Service continues normally on minor holidays like Presidents' Day or Veterans Day.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Summer Organic Odor Suppression
June to SeptemberHigh San Diego County summer temperatures accelerate food decomposition, creating heavy odors inside green organics carts. To control flies, keep your organic bin in a shaded spot, ensure the lid is tight, and layer kitchen scrap fractions beneath dry yard trimmings.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Mulching
December to JanuaryNatural Christmas trees are collected curbside on regular collection days for the first two consecutive weeks following the holidays. Residents must strip away all tinsel, metallic stands, lights, and ornaments. Flocked trees are excluded from compost lines.
Winter Canyon Run-off Protections
November to MarchDuring heavy seasonal rain events, ensure all curbside bins are placed securely on level pavement and not positioned in active street gutter channels. Keeping neighborhood storm paths clear prevents trash from washing into regional watersheds.
Local Tips & Community Info
San Diego County Solid Waste Collection via EDCO
Because Spring Valley is an unincorporated community situated within San Diego County, residential refuse and recycling services are managed under a county franchise agreement with EDCO. Homeowners and tenants must ensure their designated carts are rolled out to the street edge no later than 6:00 a.m. on their specific collection morning. To ensure the automated collection trucks can efficiently lift the containers, you need to maintain at least a two-foot gap between each bin. Keep the carts positioned away from low-hanging tree branches, parked vehicles, and mailboxes. Once EDCO has serviced your address, county ordinances require that all empty bins be removed from the public right-of-way by sunset.
Proper Cart Usage and Contamination Avoidance
In compliance with statewide environmental regulations, EDCO utilizes a mandatory three-cart sorting system for Spring Valley neighborhoods. The gray cart is intended for mixed landfill refuse, including non-recyclable plastics, heavily soiled food wrappers, and pet waste. Your blue cart is dedicated to commingled recycling; toss in loose, unbagged items like aluminum cans, glass bottles, rigid plastics, and broken-down cardboard. The green cart is strictly for organic materials, encompassing yard clippings, weeds, and kitchen food scraps. Bagging your food waste in traditional plastic is strictly prohibited in the green bin, as it ruins the composting process. Consistently contaminating your recycling or organics cart with incorrect items can lead to non-collection notices.
Managing Oversized Debris and Bulky Items
When you are renovating a room or clearing out the garage, you will likely generate waste that cannot fit into standard curbside containers. Do not leave old mattresses, broken couches, or large appliances sitting on the sidewalk, as this violates local dumping laws. EDCO provides Spring Valley residents with the option to schedule bulky item pickups directly from their home. By calling the EDCO customer service line in advance, you can arrange for a special truck to remove these oversized goods on your normal trash day. Be sure to specify exactly what items need to be hauled away when making the appointment.
Navigating HHW and E-Waste Disposal
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) includes everyday products that are toxic, flammable, or corrosive, such as motor oil, leftover paint, pool chemicals, and lithium batteries. These materials are incredibly dangerous to sanitation workers and the environment, meaning they must never be thrown into your gray, blue, or green carts. Fortunately, Spring Valley residents can safely dispose of these materials at the nearby EDCO Environmental Center located in La Mesa. You can safely pack these items in your trunk and drop them off during designated weekend hours for proper chemical neutralization and recycling.
Collection Delays During Public Holidays
The standard EDCO collection schedule experiences brief interruptions during major recognized holidays, including New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. If one of these holidays lands on a weekday, all curbside services for the remainder of that week will be delayed by exactly one day. For instance, a Thursday pickup will shift to Friday. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, your weekday collection routine will remain completely unaffected.
Drop-off Facilities
EDCO Station Buyback & Recycling Center
8184 Commercial St, La Mesa, CA 91942
Materials Accepted
Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station (Drop-off Box)
11486 Campo Rd, Spring Valley, CA 91978
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Which company is responsible for trash pickup in Spring Valley?
EDCO is the franchised waste and recycling hauler for the unincorporated San Diego County community of Spring Valley.
Can I throw my food scraps into the regular trash bin?
No. Under state law (SB 1383), all residents must separate their food scraps and place them into the green organics cart along with their yard waste.
Where can I recycle an old television or computer?
Electronic waste cannot go in your curbside bins. You can schedule a bulky item pickup with EDCO or drop the items off at the EDCO Environmental Center in nearby La Mesa.