Finding Your Trash and Recycling Collection Schedule in Bakersfield, CA

Knowing when your trash, recycling, and yard waste will be picked up is key to keeping your neighborhood and community clean. The City of Bakersfield provides garbage, recycling, and green waste collection services to residents, making it easy to look up your home’s collection schedule.

This article will explain how to find your collection calendar for:

• Tan/grey/black trash carts
• Blue recycling carts
• Green yard waste carts

How Trash and Recycling Collection Works in Bakersfield

The City of Bakersfield provides garbage, recycling, and green waste collection services through the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department.

There are three different colored carts for the three types of collection:

• Tan/grey/black carts are for regular household trash and are collected weekly.
• Blue carts are for recyclable materials like paper, plastic, glass, and metal. These are collected every other week.
• Green carts are for yard trimmings and plant debris. These are collected every other week on the opposite week from the blue cart.

Collection happens on set weekdays depending on your neighborhood:

• Monday & Thursday
• Tuesday & Friday
• Wednesday & Saturday

Knowing your collection schedule ensures you put carts out on the right day. It also helps you plan projects like spring cleaning when you may have extra trash or yard waste.

How to Find Your Trash and Recycling Collection Schedule

The City of Bakersfield makes it easy to find your scheduled collection days. There are two options:

Option 1: Use the Online Lookup Tool

The fastest way to find your schedule is to use the Solid Waste Collection Services Lookup tool.

Follow these steps:

1. Enter your street number and street name.

2. Click “Find It”.

3. Your collection schedule will appear showing which weeks your tan, blue, and green carts are collected.

This tool works for most addresses in Bakersfield. If it can’t find your exact address, it will provide a list of nearby addresses to choose from.

Option 2: Call the Solid Waste Division

If the online lookup tool doesn’t work for your address, you can call the Solid Waste Division at (661) 326-3114.

Let them know you need help finding your collection schedule. Have your specific address ready to provide.

Their office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Trash and Recycling Holiday Schedule

Collection services are only closed four days each year:

• New Year’s Day
• Independence Day (July 4th)
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

If your regular collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, it will be delayed by one day that week.

For example, if the holiday is on a Tuesday, Monday service stays the same. But Tuesday service moves to Wednesday, Wednesday to Thursday, and so on.

The online collection calendar adjusts for these holidays so you can always see your revised schedule.

Remembering Your Schedule

Once you’ve found your collection calendar, here are some tips to help remember it:

• Mark your schedule on a paper calendar you reference often.
• Set reminders on your phone for the night before collection days.
• Ask neighbors when they put bins out as a way to double check.
• Note which weekdays collection happens (e.g. Wednesdays and Saturdays).
• Check the online lookup tool again if you forget.

Placing your carts at the curb by 6am on collection days is key. If in doubt, you can always put your carts out the night before.

What Gets Collected in Each Cart?

Keep these tips in mind for what can go in each cart:

Tan/Grey/Black Carts:

• All regular household trash and waste
• Food scraps, plate scrapings
• Non-recyclable paper like tissues or paper towels
• Pet waste and litter in sealed bags

Blue Carts:

• Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, and containers (#1-7)
• Paper products like cardboard, newspaper, magazines
• Aluminum/steel cans and clean foil
• Glass bottles and jars

Green Carts:

• Grass clippings and leaves
• Flowers, small branches, shrub clippings
• Weeds and plant trimmings
• Wood chips and sawdust

Sorting your waste correctly reduces contamination and increases how much can be recycled and composted.

Other Waste Collection Services

In addition to cart collection, Bakersfield offers these waste services:

• Household hazardous waste disposal: Drop off old batteries, paint, chemicals, and other hazardous items at the HHW Center. More info here.

• Bulky item pickup: Schedule pickup of large items like mattresses, furniture, and appliances for a fee. Call (661) 326-3114.

• Compost giveaway: Pick up free compost for gardening made from the city’s collected plant debris. Offered Saturdays from October to July. Learn more here.

• Electronics recycling: Safely dispose of TVs, computers, and other devices at drop-off locations. Find locations here.

Knowing Bakersfield’s trash and recycling program helps you properly dispose of waste and keeps your neighborhood clean. Use the online lookup tool or call the city to find your collection schedule today.