Athens Services is Whittier's exclusive franchised hauler, collecting trash, recycling and organics together weekly on a set day per address. Carts must be out by 6:00 a.m. and no sooner than 6:00 p.m. the prior day. Service is mandatory under Municipal Code Chapter 8.12.
The City of Whittier contracts collection to a single exclusive franchised hauler, Athens Services, which the city selected through a competitive bidding process. Athens became the citywide hauler beginning November 1, 2025 (taking over the east side previously served by Republic Services), with new residential carts scheduled for delivery in January 2026. All three streams - black trash, blue recycling, and green organics - are collected weekly. Per the Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.12 (Solid Waste) and Athens' City of Whittier FAQ, containers must be set out for collection by 6:00 a.m. on the regular collection day and no sooner than 6:00 p.m. the day before; the city-designated collection day runs from 6:00 p.m. the prior day to 6:00 p.m. on collection day. For now, each address keeps its existing service day; Athens may adjust service days in the future with 30 days' notice. Holidays that fall on a weekday push collection back one day. Subscription to the city's collection service is effectively mandatory under Chapter 8.12, which makes it unlawful to accumulate refuse, green waste or recyclables that are putrid, offensive, or a fire/health/nuisance hazard. Rates are bundled and billed directly by Athens at (888) 336-6100. This applies to the incorporated city; unincorporated South/West/East Whittier are LA County franchise areas with different haulers.
Setting carts out too early/late or accumulating hazardous refuse violates Municipal Code Ch. 8.12 and may be abated as a nuisance. Service/billing issues go to Athens; code violations to city Code Enforcement. Specific fines were not found in a fetched source.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
whittier-ca
Under California SB 1383, Whittier requires residents and businesses to separate organic waste (food scraps and yard/green waste) into organics collection. T...
whittier-ca
Whittier's municipal code does not contain a stand-alone artificial-turf ordinance, and the City does not prohibit synthetic turf on residential property. Sy...
whittier-ca
Whittier does not mandate native plants, but its Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines state that drought-tolerant and native plants should be a priori...
whittier-ca
Whittier's municipal code does not prohibit residential rainwater harvesting, and California's Rainwater Capture Act (2012) lets residents collect rainwater ...
whittier-ca
Whittier homes are served by the City's own water division or by Suburban Water Systems. Under WMC 13.24.010 the public works director may restrict watering ...
whittier-ca
Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.24 (Weed Abatement), adopted by Ordinance 2388 in 1986, is the City's weed ordinance. It makes it a public nuisance to allo...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Los Angeles County.
See how other cities in Los Angeles County handle pickup rules & schedules.
See how Whittier's pickup rules & schedules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.