Ventura County, CA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Frequency
- Weekly curbside (Mon-Fri by area)
- Streams
- Trash, recycling, organics
- Set out by
- 6 a.m. on collection day
- Holiday weeks
- Pickup may be delayed one day
- Haulers
- Athens Services / EJ Harrison
Summary
Unincorporated Ventura County has weekly curbside collection of trash, recycling, and organics by County-franchised haulers Athens Services and EJ Harrison & Sons. Collection runs Monday through Friday by area, carts should be out by 6 a.m., and pickup may be delayed one day during holiday weeks.
(a) Consistent with Section 39730.5, methane emissions reduction goals shall include the following targets to reduce the landfill disposal of organics:
(1) A 50-percent reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level by 2020.
(2) A 75-percent reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level by 2025.
(b) Except as provided in this section and Section 42652.5 of the Public Resources Code, the state board shall not adopt, prior to January 1, 2025, requirements to control methane emissions associated with the disposal of organic waste in landfills other than through landfill methane emissions control regulations.
(a) The department, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, shall adopt regulations to achieve the organic waste reduction goals for 2020 and 2025 established in Section 39730.6 of the Health and Safety Code. The regulations shall comply with all of the following:
(1) May require local jurisdictions to impose requirements on generators or other relevant entities within their jurisdiction and may authorize local jurisdictions to impose penalties on generators for noncompliance.
(2) Shall include requirements intended to meet the goal that not less than 20 percent of edible food that is currently disposed of is recovered for human consumption by 2025.
(b) A local jurisdiction may charge and collect fees to recover the local jurisdiction's costs incurred in complying with the regulations adopted pursuant to this section.
Full Breakdown
Solid waste collection in unincorporated Ventura County is provided under County-awarded residential collection agreements by one of two franchised haulers, Athens Services or EJ Harrison & Sons. Each household receives weekly curbside service for three carts: trash, household recycling, and combined organic (yard and food) waste. In the Harrison service area, weekly trash, recycling, and yard-waste collection takes place Monday through Friday depending on where the resident lives; residents can call their hauler to confirm their assigned collection day. on collection day and placed two to three feet apart and away from obstacles, with wheels toward the curb.
Trash is limited to what fits inside the cart. During weeks with a holiday, trash pickup may be delayed by one day. The County's residential agreements, awarded in 2023, also build in customer benefits such as free bulky-item pickups. Because service is provided through a franchise rather than open competition, residents in covered unincorporated areas use the assigned hauler; the County's Public Works Agency oversees the program and provides an interactive map so residents can identify their provider. Questions about rates, missed pickups, extra carts, or schedule changes are handled directly by the assigned hauler, while program-level and recycling-compliance matters are overseen by Ventura County Public Works Integrated Waste Management.
Violations & Fines
Setting carts out late, overfilling beyond the cart, or contaminating carts can cause missed or refused pickups. Contact your hauler for missed-collection or schedule issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is my trash collected?
What happens to my pickup on holiday weeks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura County
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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