Merced, CA Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

Trash containers in the incorporated City of Merced are provided and serviced by the City's own municipal Refuse Division, which is responsible for all solid waste collection within city limits. Unlike many California cities, Merced does not contract collection to a private franchised hauler; the City itself is the service provider (Waste Management/WM serves unincorporated Merced County areas and other cities, not inside the City of Merced). Per the City refuse pages, residential refuse service uses three containers: the grey container for general household garbage, the blue container for accepted recyclables, and the green container for green waste. Container rules: when containers are full, lids must be able to close, and a container must weigh less than 200 pounds; containers that are overloaded or too heavy may not receive service. For customers with physical limitations, the City maintains an assisted refuse service in which a refuse equipment operator retrieves the containers, brings them to the curb for service, and returns them. Commercial service offers options from a 300-gallon bin up to an 8-cubic-yard container with pickup one to six times per week. To request service, a site evaluation, or assisted service, residents contact the Public Works Office Refuse Division at 209-385-6800. Specific cart-condition fine amounts were not located in a fetched city source.