San Benito County, CA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Bulky item disposal in the unincorporated county is delivered through the Recology franchise rather than a county-run pickup. Recology offers residential customers two bulky-item collections each year at no extra charge. Each collection accepts up to 2 cubic yards of material, up to 5 pieces of electronic waste, and up to two appliances or bulky items (examples include bicycles, tables, and appliances containing freon). Items must be placed at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, and the account must be current with no past-due balance. Unused bulky-item collections do not roll over to the next year, and items not curbside before the truck arrives are forfeited for that pickup. Recology also runs free bulky-item drop-off events during the year, and the County-owned John Smith Road Landfill (2650 John Smith Road, Hollister) accepts self-hauled materials Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monthly household hazardous waste collection events are held the third Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Dumping bulky items on roadsides or vacant land instead of using these options is illegal dumping, which the County penalizes heavily.