Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Temple City
Trash Day
Trash is collected once per week, Monday through Friday, according to your neighborhood collection zone.
Recycling
Recycling is collected once per week on the same day as regular trash collection.
Yard Waste
Organics and green waste are collected once per week on the same day as regular trash collection.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day (may be set out after 5:00 PM the day before)
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste services are provided under franchise by Athens Services, who handles service requests and billing directly.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail
Pro Tip / Discount
No specific low-income or senior discounts listed, though residents can select smaller cart sizes (such as 32-gallon containers) for lower monthly rates.
Black Bin (Trash)
All household garbage items must fit completely inside the black cart with the lid flat down. Overflowing barrels or bags piled on top will attract skipped service notices or extra fees.
Accepted Items
- ✓Unrecyclable snack wraps and multi-layer chip bags
- ✓Opaque or dark plastic bags and heavy wrapping film
- ✓Diapers, personal sanitary wipes, and hygiene items
- ✓Broken window glass fragments, mirrors, and home ceramics
- ✓Food-contaminated packaging heavily soiled with grease
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All dry recyclable items must be placed into the blue container loose, empty, dry, and entirely unbagged. Trapping clean recyclables inside grocery sacks will cause sorting plant rejection.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean aluminum beverage cans, steel soup tins, and metal lids
- ✓Glass bottles and food containers of all colors (rinsed empty)
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs labeled #1 through #7
- ✓Flattened dry cardboard boxes and clean paperboard packaging
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, mail inserts, and catalogs
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic grocery bags or flimsy plastic films
- ✕Polystyrene (Styrofoam) foam blocks, peanuts, or cups
- ✕Food-contaminated pizza boxes or greasy wax sheets
- ✕Electronic components or consumer household batteries
- ✕Loose shredded paper fragments (must be contained in a paper bag)
Yard Waste Bin
Yard trimmings and green debris must be mixed loose. For food waste collection, residents are permitted to use CLEAR petroleum plastic or CLEAR bioplastic bags so route inspectors can visually confirm contents. Uncoated paper bags are also fully acceptable loose.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings, fresh lawn thatch, and garden weeds
- ✓Dry garden leaves, shrub prunings, and flowers
- ✓Tree limbs under 3 inches in diameter and 3 feet in length
- ✓Household food leftovers, vegetable peelings, and fruit cores
- ✓Meat fragments, poultry bones, dairy scraps, and bread crusts
- ✓Food-soiled paper towels, paper plates, and greasy napkins
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
On-Call Service Tiers Available
Placement
Items must be positioned neatly at the street curb edge (not blocking active traffic lanes or public sidewalks) by 6:00 AM on the day of your approved collection appointment. For safety reasons, you must remove all appliance doors from units like refrigerators before curbside placement.
Accepted
- ✓ Large household furniture (sofas, mattresses, tables, armchairs)
- ✓ Major household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters)
- ✓ Electronic waste boxed or stacked safely
- ✓ Oversized green waste bundles or extra packed boxes
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid chemicals, wet paints, motor oil)
- ✕ Loose unbundled building renovation debris (concrete, bricks, dirt blocks)
- ✕ Automotive passenger components or vehicle tires
- ✕ General loose trash bags left stacked uncontained
Standard accounts should verify their exact annual free bulk limits and current per-item charges for extra loads directly with Athens customer service.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When an observed major calendar holiday occurs on a scheduled weekday, the residential collection route for that day and all remaining pickup days for the rest of that week will be delayed by exactly one business day. Regular Friday routes are adjusted to Saturday.
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.
If one of these major observed calendar holidays falls naturally on a Saturday or Sunday, standard weekday residential collection loops continue without any service delays.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Summer Heat Compost Mitigation
June to SeptemberHigh Southern California summer temperatures accelerate biological breakdown, creating odors and attracting flies in green bins. Layer raw kitchen food scrap bags underneath a protective layer of dry garden trimmings and keep container lids tightly sealed.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Collection
December to JanuaryAthens Services provides complimentary residential curbside collection for natural Christmas trees following the holidays. All tinsel, metallic stands, lights, and ornaments must be completely stripped. Trees treated with artificial flocking or fire retardants are barred from composting and must be thrown in the trash.
Autumn Foliage Sweep Preparation
October to DecemberDuring peak fall cleanup months, avoid over-packing your green barrel too tightly. If yard debris consistently overflows the container capacity, contact Athens Services to adjust cart sizes or explore auxiliary green barrel options.
Local Tips & Community Info
Temple City Trash Collection Rules & Athens Services
The City of Temple City maintains an exclusive franchise agreement with Athens Services to handle all residential garbage and recycling needs. Every household is assigned a specific weekly pickup day. To ensure your bins are emptied properly, you must have them positioned at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your designated service morning. The local municipal code allows residents to place their carts out as early as 5:00 p.m. the evening prior. Once the Athens Services trucks have collected your waste, you are required to bring all empty containers back onto your property no later than 10:00 p.m. on that same day to keep the neighborhood streets clear and clean.
Understanding Your Black, Blue, and Green Bins
Separating your everyday discardable goods is mandatory under state environmental laws. Temple City utilizes a color-coded three-cart system to streamline this process. The black container is intended strictly for non-recyclable landfill waste, such as diapers, foam cups, ceramics, and heavily soiled wrappers. Uniquely, things like palm fronds and cacti must also go into the black bin. The blue container holds clean, commingled recyclables like glass jars, aluminum cans, flattened cardboard, and junk mail. Your green container is meant for organic waste, encompassing grass clippings, food scraps, and plant-based materials. Never put dirt, pet waste, or rocks into your green organics cart, as this will result in a contaminated load.
Disposing of Bulky Furniture and Appliances
Throwing away oversized items like a broken refrigerator, an old mattress, or worn-out couches requires a bit of planning. You cannot simply leave these large objects on the sidewalk, as illegal dumping carries strict citations and fines in Temple City. Instead, residential customers can contact Athens Services directly to schedule a bulky item pickup. You can arrange this by calling their support line at (888) 336-6100 or filling out a request form on their website. For safety reasons, you must remove or secure the doors on any major appliances before leaving them outside for collection.
Los Angeles County Permanent HHW Collection Centers
Toxic chemicals and household pollutants pose a massive hazard to sanitation workers and the local water table. Items such as motor oil, leftover paint, pesticides, pool chemicals, fluorescent tubes, and old car batteries are strictly prohibited from entering any of your three curbside carts. Because Temple City is part of Los Angeles County, residents have free access to permanent Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste collection centers located throughout the region. You should safely package these dangerous liquids and broken electronics in your vehicle and drive them to a certified county drop-off site for professional neutralization.
Trash Schedule Changes During Holidays
Holiday celebrations can sometimes alter the standard routine for municipal services. Athens Services observes six major holidays during the year: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If your normal trash pickup day falls on or after one of these specific holidays, your collection will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week. Normal schedules resume the following Monday. If a holiday falls on a weekend, your weekday curbside collection will not experience any delays whatsoever.
Drop-off Facilities
Athens Services Corporate & Customer Care Team
15045 Industry Ave, La Puente, CA 91746
Materials Accepted
Los Angeles County HHW / Electronic Waste Mobile Events
Varies (Rotates through regional locations like San Gabriel Valley hubs)
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest I can put my trash cans out in Temple City?
According to city regulations, you can roll your Athens Services bins to the curb starting at 5:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled collection. They must be removed from the street by 10:00 p.m. on your collection day.
Can I put palm fronds and pet waste in the green organics bin?
No. Palm fronds, cacti, yucca plants, dirt, and pet waste are explicitly prohibited from the green organics container and must be discarded in your black landfill trash cart.
How do I schedule a bulky item pickup for old furniture?
Temple City residents can arrange a free bulky item collection by contacting Athens Services at (888) 336-6100 or by submitting a service request form through the hauler's official website.