El Monte single-family homes receive curbside pickup of trash (brown cart), recyclables (blue cart), and organics/green waste (green cart) under an exclusive franchise with Valley Vista Services. Each cart must be used for its designated material stream.
The City contracts with Valley Vista Services as the exclusive residential hauler (customer service 800-442-6454). Every single-family premises is issued three 96-gallon carts: brown for refuse, blue for commingled recyclables, and green for green/organic waste including food scraps and food-soiled paper. Materials placed loose outside the carts are not collected unless arranged in advance (e.g., scheduled bulky pickup). Collection follows a published service-day map; when a designated City holiday (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) falls on a regular collection day, pickup slides one day later for the remainder of that week.
Failure to subscribe to the mandatory City service is enforceable as a municipal violation. Under California Penal Code §374.3, dumping refuse outside the cart system on public or private property is an infraction with a mandatory fine of $250–$1,000 for a first conviction, $500–$1,500 for a second, and $750–$3,000 for a third or subsequent conviction (fines are doubled for tires).
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El Monte, CA
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El Monte, CA
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