A public resource guide
12 free Special Collections per year (call 562-570-2876, max 72x48 inches and 40 lbs per item, crews can’t enter property), three-cart system under CA SB 1383, EDCO Recycling and Transfer Environmental Center for HHW, and new blue cart rollout Feb–Oct 2026.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
Long Beach, California provides one of the more generous bulk waste programs in the country: each City-serviced residential refuse account receives 12 free Special Collections per year. The Energy and Environmental Services Department serves approximately 130,000 residential and 118,000 total accounts. California SB 1383 mandates the three-cart system: gray trash, blue recycling (collected by Waste Management under contract), and green organics for food scraps and yard trimmings. Long Beach is rolling out new blue recycling carts February through October 2026. Crews cannot enter private property due to insurance liabilities. This guide covers every disposal option for City of Long Beach residents.
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Long Beach residents have several free disposal pathways. The 12-per-year Special Collection program is unusually generous. The three-cart curbside system handles routine waste under California SB 1383. EDCO Recycling and Transfer Environmental Center handles HHW.
Special Collections (12/year)
Free, 12/yearEach Long Beach city-serviced refuse account receives 12 free Special Collections per year for bulky and oversized items. Customers may opt to use 2 free pickups for the same day if larger volume is needed.
Eligibility: All City of Long Beach residential refuse customers. Properties served by private haulers should contact them directly.
How to schedule: Call (562) 570-2876 or use the online form at longbeach.gov.
Set-out: Items at normal weekly refuse collection location by 6:00 AM on scheduled day. Don’t place outside until your pickup date is confirmed.
Size limits: Items cannot exceed 72″ x 48″. Bundles cannot exceed 48″ in any direction. Items or bundles cannot exceed 40 lbs. Bags cannot exceed 25 lbs.
Important: Crews cannot enter private property due to insurance liabilities. Place items where weekly refuse is collected.
NOT accepted: Sharp objects (branches, sticks, broken glass). Hazardous waste (paint, batteries, motor oil — goes to EDCO).
Note: A regulatory fee may be charged for items requiring special handling.
Three-cart curbside collection
Free with serviceLong Beach’s three-cart system: gray trash, blue recycling (operated by WM under city contract), and green organics for food scraps and yard trimmings. All three are collected weekly on the same weekday.
Gray cart (trash): Weekly. Cart sizes 95-gallon (max 200 lbs) or 65-gallon (max 150 lbs).
Blue cart (recycling): Weekly. Single-stream, all items loose — do not bag recyclables (except bundled plastic bags). Remove caps and lids. Flatten cardboard.
Green cart (organics): Weekly under SB 1383. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings. Place loose; bags discouraged. Compostable plastics NOT accepted — place in trash cart.
Set-out: Carts at curb or in alley by 6:00 AM. Leave 2 feet between carts. Lid arrow toward street. Lid completely closed.
Find your day: Use the MapIt Application at longbeach.gov to look up trash, recycling, and organics days by address.
EDCO Recycling and Transfer Environmental Center
Free for residentsEDCO operates the regional recycling and transfer center for Long Beach, including HHW collection. The right path for paint, batteries, motor oil, electronics, and items not accepted at curbside.
What’s accepted: Paint (latex and oil-based), batteries, motor oil, antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, electronics (TVs, computers, monitors), pesticides.
Find current hours and location: Visit edcodisposal.com or longbeach.gov/lbrecycles.
Required: Proof of Long Beach residency.
Donation pickup
Free for usable itemsLong Beach and the Los Angeles metro have a strong nonprofit network for usable furniture and household goods. The right path for items in good working condition.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles ReStore: Free pickup for furniture, appliances, and building materials. Multiple LA metro locations.
Salvation Army Long Beach: Schedule at satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
Goodwill of Southern Los Angeles County: Multiple Long Beach locations.
Community Action Team and Long Beach Rescue Mission: Local nonprofits accepting household goods for families in need.
Freemoval (partner-community pickups)
FreeFreemoval is a social impact program that subsidizes free junk removal pickups in partner communities, typically affordable housing properties. Long Beach partner expansion is in progress.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in Long Beach: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Long Beach’s Special Collection program is one of the most generous bulk pickup allowances among major U.S. cities. Each city-serviced residential refuse account receives 12 free pickups per year.
How to schedule:
· Phone: (562) 570-2876
· Online: Special collection request form at longbeach.gov/lbrecycles
Set-out timing: Items at your normal weekly refuse collection location by 6:00 AM on the scheduled day. Important: don’t place items outside until your pickup date is confirmed (otherwise you risk illegal dumping enforcement).
Volume strategy: Customers may opt to use 2 free pickups for the same day if you have more volume than fits in a single collection.
Size and weight limits:
· Items cannot exceed 72″ x 48″
· Bundles cannot exceed 48″ in any direction
· Items or bundles cannot exceed 40 pounds
· Bags cannot exceed 25 pounds
Crew safety rules:
· Don’t place sharp objects (branches, sticks, broken glass) in special collection
· Crews cannot enter private property due to insurance liabilities
· Items must be at the same location where weekly refuse is collected
Regulatory fee: Some items requiring special handling (refrigerators, A/C units with refrigerant, tires) may incur a regulatory fee. The Special Collection itself is free; the fee covers required handling cost.
What works well in this program: Furniture, mattresses, box springs, appliances, large household items.
What does NOT go in Special Collections: Hazardous waste (paint, motor oil, batteries — goes to EDCO), sharp branches, broken glass, construction debris.
Long Beach is mandatory three-cart under California SB 1383: gray trash, blue recycling (operated by WM under city contract), green organics. Customer service: (562) 570-2876.
Find your collection day: Use the MapIt Application at longbeach.gov, or call (562) 570-2876.
Set-out window: Carts at curb or in alley by 6:00 AM. Collection occurs anytime between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
Cart placement: Leave 2 feet of space between carts (or parked cars). Lid arrow toward street. Lid completely closed.
Weight limits: 95-gallon cart max 200 lbs; 65-gallon cart max 150 lbs. The automated system can’t lift overloaded carts.
Gray cart (trash): Weekly. Bagged household trash that doesn’t qualify for recycling or organics.
Blue cart (recycling): Weekly. The City contracts with Waste Management for recycling collection. Single-stream, all items loose — don’t bag recyclables (except bundled plastic bags). Remove caps and lids. Flatten cardboard. HHW (paint, batteries, motor oil) does NOT go here — take to EDCO.
Green cart (organics, SB 1383): Weekly. Required for food scraps and food-soiled paper alongside yard trimmings. Place loose; bags strongly discouraged (paper bags acceptable; clear plastic bags only if needed). Compostable and biodegradable plastics should NOT go in the green cart — they go in the trash cart because composting facilities can’t break them down.
Holiday schedule: Trash, recycling, and organics are collected on all holidays except: New Year’s Day (January 1) and Christmas Day (December 25). When these holidays fall on a weekday, that day’s collection and the remainder of the week shift one day later, ending Saturday. When they fall on Saturday, collection occurs the Friday before.
Missed collections: Report after 6:00 PM via the Report a Problem form. Leave cart out and accessible for collection the following day.
The City is delivering new blue recycling carts to all city-serviced residential customers over an eight-month period, February through October 2026.
What to expect: New blue recycling carts delivered to your address during the rollout window. Estimated delivery times and the delivery process are explained in the Recycling Collection FAQs at longbeach.gov.
What to do: Continue using your existing recycling cart until the new one arrives. Recycling rules remain the same. After delivery, the new cart replaces the old.
Rate context: Solid waste and recycling rates increased May 1, 2025 (not including organics service charges). Residential organics charges only began applying once organics service started, on or after August 1, 2025. The rate adjustment realigned residential and commercial rates — commercial rates were reduced to cost of service, residential rates raised to cost of service.
EDCO Recycling and Transfer Environmental Center handles regional HHW for Long Beach. Free for residents.
What’s accepted:
· Paint (latex and oil-based), paint thinner, solvents
· Automotive fluids (motor oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid)
· Batteries (auto, household, lithium)
· Pesticides, herbicides, pool chemicals
· Fluorescent bulbs and CFLs
· Electronics (TVs, computers, monitors, printers)
Find current hours and location: Visit long-beach.edcodisposal.com or longbeach.gov/lbrecycles.
Best Buy: Best Buy stores accept most consumer electronics free at customer service for routine drop-off.
Auto parts stores: AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Advance Auto accept used motor oil and lead-acid batteries free year-round.
Donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (subject to program rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
Items typically not accepted: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don’t work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), and exercise equipment that requires reassembly. Always call the program before scheduling.
For items beyond the 12-collection annual limit, items not eligible (sharp branches, construction debris), or households needing in-home loading (city crews can’t enter property), paid options are available.
Self-haul to EDCO
Tipping fees varyFor items beyond Special Collection size limits or large cleanouts, EDCO accepts most non-hazardous waste at standard tipping fees. The cheapest option for residents who can self-haul.
Useful for: Bulk waste over 40 lb item limit, construction debris (residential), large cleanouts.
Find current hours: Visit edcodisposal.com.
LoadUp paid pickup
$80+For Long Beach households needing in-home loading (city crews can’t enter property), items beyond city size and weight limits, or service when you’ve used your annual 12 Special Collections, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Long Beach area for upfront-priced pickup.
What’s included: Loading from inside the home, hauling, and licensed disposal. Items can exceed city 40 lb / 72″ size limits.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
Other paid services: 1-800-Got-Junk, College Hunks Hauling Junk, and Junk King Long Beach serve the LA metro.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. 100% of round-ups fund subsidized pickups at standard market rates.
Book a Long Beach pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Report illegal dumping at (562) 570-DUMP (3867) for street-drain dumping (motor oil, etc.) or learn about storm water. For other illegal dumping, call (562) 570-6431 or use the Go Long Beach app to submit service requests.
For California state environmental violations, contact CalRecycle. Active dumping in progress: call Long Beach Police non-emergency.
Photos with timestamps and license plate numbers significantly improve enforcement outcomes. See our complete illegal dumping guide for California state penalty information and reporting best practices.
How does Long Beach’s Special Collection program work?
Each City-serviced residential refuse account receives 12 free Special Collections per year for bulky and oversized items. Schedule by calling (562) 570-2876 or via the online form. Customers may opt to use 2 free pickups for the same day if they have more volume. Items at normal weekly refuse collection location by 6 AM on scheduled day. Items cannot exceed 72 by 48 inches; bundles cannot exceed 48 inches in any direction; items or bundles cannot exceed 40 pounds; bags cannot exceed 25 pounds. Crews cannot enter private property due to insurance liabilities.
When are the new blue recycling carts arriving?",
The City is delivering new blue recycling carts to all city-serviced residential customers from February through October 2026, an eight-month rollout. Continue using your existing cart until the new one arrives. Recycling rules remain the same. Estimated delivery times for your area are at longbeach.gov/lbrecycles."),
Can I put compostable plastics in my green cart?",
No. Compostable and biodegradable plastics should NOT go in the green cart. Composting facilities cannot break down these products. All compostable or biodegradable products should be placed in the trash cart. For yard trimmings and food scraps, paper bags are acceptable but discouraged; plastic bags are strongly discouraged but can be used if clear so contents are visible. Loose is best."),
Why didn’t my Special Collection get picked up?",
Common reasons: Items placed before pickup date was confirmed; items beyond size or weight limits (over 72 by 48 inches, over 40 pounds for items or bundles, over 25 pounds for bags); sharp objects included (branches, sticks, broken glass); items inside your property (crews cannot enter private property). Confirm scheduling with (562) 570-2876 and place items at your normal refuse collection location by 6 AM."),
Where do I take electronics and HHW?",
EDCO Recycling and Transfer Environmental Center handles regional HHW including paint, batteries, motor oil, fluorescent bulbs, and electronics (TVs, computers, monitors, printers) for Long Beach residents. Visit edcodisposal.com or longbeach.gov/lbrecycles for current hours and location. Best Buy also accepts most consumer electronics free at customer service. AutoZone, O'Reilly, and Advance Auto accept motor oil and batteries year-round."),
How do I report illegal dumping in Long Beach?",
For street-drain dumping (motor oil, etc.) call (562) 570-DUMP (3867). For general illegal dumping, call (562) 570-6431 or use the Go Long Beach mobile app. For California state environmental violations, contact CalRecycle. Active dumping in progress: call Long Beach Police non-emergency. Photos with license plate numbers significantly improve enforcement.
Is this page maintained?
Yes. Last updated May 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.