Houses: Garbage
	>Backyard and Curbside Collection of Garbage >Things That Can not be Put In the Trash >Large Items and Extra Trash >Self Haul of Garbage >Large Cleanups >City Garbage Ordinance

Choose the following links if you live in an apartment or condo, or the waste comes from a business.

Backyard and Curbside Collection of Garbage

How Does it Work?

The City is divided into two trash zones serviced by BFI and MarBorg. Residences south or west of State Street are serviced by BFI. MarBorg Services residences north and east of State. See the Trash and Recycling Service Providers Map to determine your hauler. Call your hauler to initiate or change trash, yard waste, or recycling services.

Minimum service is 1-32 gallon can, emptied once per week. You can choose between 32 gallon cans that you buy yourself, or 32, 64 or 96 gallon carts provided by the hauler. Cans take up more room, but will be serviced from their location in the backyard (backyard service). Carts can store more material in a smaller space, but must be placed on the curb by the residents. They have wheels and are easy to move, even when full.

Recycling and Green Waste containers and service are provided for free and will reduce your need for trash service and save you money.

How Much Does it Cost?
You will be charged for the number of 32 gallon cans serviced. If you have a cart, the price is based on the equivalent number of 32 gallon cans. Residents with backyard service will be charged more if the trash cans are more than 100’ from the street. Download the Single Family Rate Sheet for prices and service types.

Things that Can Not be Put in the Trash

As of February 9, 2006, The following items cannot be put in your household or business trash. Click on the links to find out where to bring these materials or download this information in a Landfill Ban Handout.

• Batteries: AAA, AA, C, D, 6 volt, 9 volt, and others
• Fluorescent Bulbs: all types
• Mercury Containing Devices: Thermometers,Thermostats, Electric Switches, Barometers, Blood Pressure Devices, Musical Greeting Cards, Shoes with Lighted Soles
• Mercury Containing Appliances : Stoves, Ovens, Water Heaters, Space Heaters, Dryers, Furnaces
• Electronics: Computers, Televisions, Cell Phones, pagers, printers, Video Cassette Recorders, Telephones, Radios, Microwave Ovens.
• Aerosol Cans: Full or Partly Full. Completely empty ones can go in recycling.

The following items are also illegal to put in the trash

• Hazardous Waste
  Bring Paint, Batteries, & Chemicals, (including solvents, oil, oil filters, antifreeze, batteries (household and vehicle), to a hazardous waste disposal site. It is okay to put totally empty and dried out containers in the trash, but even sealed containers of paint and other chemicals must go to a hazardous waste site.
• Refrigerators, Freezers, and Air Conditioners
  See Furniture, Appliances, & Bulky Wastes for proper disposal.
  

Extra Trash and Large Items

Occasional Extra Bags or Cans of Trash
You can pay a $3-4 for an extra pickup on your regular service day. If you need the trash pickup on another day, it will cost around $10. You are entitiled to up to 4 bags or cans of trash for the fee. You must call your hauler at least 24 hours in advance to make arrangements.

Large Items that Don't Fit in the Trash Container
See the section on Furntiure, Appliances, and Bulky Wastes for disposal options.

Self Haul of Garbage

You can bring extra trash to the South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station. See South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station Self Haul Rate Sheet for hours and prices. Construction and Demolition Waste, Greenwaste, sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and other Furniture, Appliances, & Bulky Wastes can be brought to special facilities for less than the cost of trash.

Large Cleanups
If you need to clean out a house with ordinary belongings in it, you can either choose a method that low cost or free but entails sorting and hauling, or one that is easy and convenient but more expensive.

Easy and Convenient
See the rolloff picture (same as debris box) to decide if you need this type of container. Simply put all the waste except liquids and hazardous chemicals in the box and the haulers will take it away. All rolloff box haulers must be permitted by the City of Santa Barbara to haul waste from a Santa Barbara address. These permitted haulers will recycle as much of your waste as possible automatically. You can choose any of the following haulers regardless of who hauls your regular trash. Call to compare prices.

Low Cost or Free
Most items can either be recycled or reused, and you can bring them to various dropoff locations for no charge. You may have some waste that must be brought to the dump in the end, but it should be very small. Sort the waste into the following catagories and click the link to find dropoff locations:

• Paint, batteries, and chemicals
• Reusables
  (functioning appliances, electronics, furniture, rugs, housewares, window coverings, clothing, shoes, tools)
  This is stuff that is still useful to someone "as is". Please do not include broken items. Donating most things to a thrift store is usually easiest, and some of them offer pick up service. Don't limit yourself to items that the thrift store accepts because you can find someone to take almost anything. With free web based classifieds such as craigslist, you can often find a taker the same day the ad is posted. If you find someone to take the stuff, they will pick it up and you won't have to transport it anywhere.
• Recycling
  (any type of paper, anything metal, almost all plastics)
  If it is on this Recycling Guide, you can bring it to a recycling center. Broken reusables can usually be recycled. Metal: if the item is mostly metal and has some plastic parts, it is still recyclable. Literally, ANYTHING METAL as long as it is not powered by electricity, gas, or batteries (see electronics or large appliances below for those). Plastic: Ignore the numbers and recycling symbol on them. If the item is pure plastic with only small metal parts such as rivets or screws. it is recyclable. The one exception is styrofoam, which is trash.
• Electronics
• Large appliances
  (water heaters, stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc)
• Construction or remodeling waste
• Trash
  Self haul waste to the transfer station.

Call 564-5677 for more information or clarification.

City Garbage Ordinance

All residences and food serving businesses must have garbage collection service. Property owners also have certain other responsibilities related to garbage storage and collection. Carts may be placed on the street no earlier than 12 hours before collection and must be taken in no later than 24 hours after collection. For a full text of the city ordinance on garbage and refuse, download Section 7.16 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code.