Riverside, California resident guide
Riverside bulk trash pickup, trash & recycling
Schedule a Riverside bulky item appointment, identify whether the City or Athens serves the address, and check weekly carts, 2026 holiday rules, free drop offs, and fall cleanup events.
Official source links checked on August 31, 2026.
Regular household service
Trash and recycling service
Start here for the recurring household collections residents use most often.
Residential trash is collected once each week by either Riverside Public Works or Athens Services. Brown containers and newer gray lid containers hold ordinary trash. Dial 311 if the address provider is unclear or if service remains incomplete after 72 hours.
The blue recycling and green yard or food waste containers are collected once each week on the same assigned day as trash. Riverside now uses blue lids for recycling and green lids for organic material as containers are replaced.
Need it gone before the city service?
Get a LoadUp quote when the local date is too far away or an item is excluded.
Start here
Schedule Riverside service
Call Riverside at 951-826-5311 and describe every item. Keep the confirmed date, place only approved material at the curb by 5:30 a.m., and call before the close of the previous business day if the appointment must be changed.
Riverside 2026 resident collection guide
Schedule Riverside bulky item pickup
Riverside residents receive two free curbside appointments per address each year. Call 951-826-5311, list no more than five items, and keep the confirmed date because exceeding the limit can use the second annual appointment.
The allowance applies per address each year to eligible Riverside residents.
Three bags at 20 pounds or less each count together as one item, up to 15 bags.
Use the curb, not the street, and place items out no more than 24 hours early.
Confirm the address provider because the two services use different holiday rules.
Residents may bring up to one ton to Agua Mansa with a current utility bill.
Riverside bulky item allowance
Two appointments per address with five items each
Call 951-826-5311 and describe every item. Riverside warns that collecting material over the five item limit can automatically use the second annual appointment.
The City tracks the allowance by service address each year.
Three bags at 20 pounds or less each count together as one item.
Use the curb, not the street, and do not place material out over 24 hours early.
Call before closing to avoid losing one of the two annual appointments.
Confirm the address provider
Riverside Public Works and Athens use different holiday rules
Residential service can come from Riverside Public Works or Athens Services. Athens covers some areas including La Sierra, University, and Orangecrest. Dial 311 when the provider is unclear, because the correct provider determines the holiday delay.
Open Riverside trash and recycling guidance ↗Weekly household collection
Trash, recycling, and organic material share one collection day
Riverside residential service runs once each week. The City is introducing standardized lid colors as damaged containers are replaced, so some homes still use older containers.
Use it for ordinary solid waste that cannot go in recycling or organic material.
Use the blue container for accepted clean paper, bottles, cans, and containers.
Secure food scraps in a plastic bag and place the bag in the green container.
Use Riverside 311 when a residential route remains incomplete after 72 hours.
Free resident disposal options
Choose the correct Agua Mansa location and event
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., bring up to one ton of household trash, bulky items, recyclables, refrigerators, or yard waste.
From 8 a.m. to noon, bring electronics, household bulbs and batteries, boxed paper for shredding, or qualifying textile donations.
From 8 a.m. to noon, use 8095 Lincoln Avenue, 2008 Martin Luther King Boulevard, or Golden Avenue between Stonewall Drive and Cochran Avenue.
A current Riverside utility bill is required. Tires are not free at Agua Mansa.
Prepare the curbside appointment
Some items require wrapping, bundling, or another program
Accepted examples
Furniture, completely wrapped mattresses, approved rugs and carpet, small tied tree trimmings, stoves, washers, dryers, purged water heaters, and purged pool pumps can qualify.
Use another program
Paint and chemicals, refrigerators and air conditioners, tires and vehicle parts, televisions and computers, brick, concrete, drywall, lumber, and other construction material do not qualify for curbside bulky pickup.
No part of the mattress can remain exposed when the City arrives.
Tie each bundle and keep out large limbs, trunks, and stumps.
Roll and tie each approved piece. Each separate piece counts as one item.
Each bag must weigh 20 pounds or less, with no more than 15 bags total.
Natural Christmas trees
The 2026 collection window ran January 5 through January 24
Riverside instructed residents to remove the stand and decorations, cut a natural tree into four foot lengths, and place it in or beside the green container. Flocked trees belonged in or beside the brown or gray trash container. Container lids had to close.
Check the official Riverside collection schedule ↗Household hazardous waste
Use 1780 Agua Mansa Road on a nonholiday Saturday
The County facility serves Riverside County residents from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It accepts common household chemicals, electronics, batteries, bulbs, approved sharps, and several other special materials at no charge.
State law prohibits carrying more household hazardous waste in one trip.
The facility rejects an individual container above either limit.
Batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, pool chemicals, and sharps also qualify.
Businesses, organizations, and residents outside Riverside County cannot use it.
City rules at a glance
Local limits before placement
Each address receives two appointments per year with five items at each collection. Three trash bags weighing no more than 20 pounds each count together as one item, with no more than 15 bags total.
Place approved items at the curb, not in the street, by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment day. Material may go out the night before but never more than 24 hours before the confirmed collection.
Local detail that matters
What makes Riverside service different
Riverside residential addresses may be served by the City or Athens Services, including Athens areas such as La Sierra, University, and Orangecrest. Confirm the provider before applying a holiday delay rule. Commercial and larger residential properties can use another approved hauler.
Item guidance
What may go in the bulk item pile
Accepted examples
Riverside accepts common furniture, wrapped mattresses, bundled rugs or carpet within the published size, small tied tree trimmings, stoves, washers, dryers, purged water heaters, purged pool pumps, and other approved nonhazardous household material.
Not accepted
Curbside bulky pickup excludes household hazardous waste, appliances containing refrigerant, automotive parts, electronic waste, and construction or demolition material. Use the City's published transfer, cleanup, utility, or County disposal program instead.
Holiday collectionRiverside holiday timing depends on whether the City or Athens serves the address2026 schedule confirmed
Riverside publishes one 2026 no collection calendar but two delay rules. City routes usually move one day when a holiday falls on the scheduled service day, with an exception for Wednesday holidays. Athens routes move one day after a Monday through Friday holiday.
City collected address
A listed holiday on the scheduled service day normally causes a one day delay. Riverside specifically says Wednesday holidays are an exception.
Athens collected address
A listed Monday through Friday holiday causes a one day delay for each collection day after the holiday.
Saturday holiday
Riverside says a holiday that falls on Saturday does not delay service.
Bulky appointment
Keep the appointment date issued by the City. Call before the close of the previous business day to cancel or reschedule without losing an annual appointment.
Published 2026 no collection holidays
Use the City or Athens note above to determine what each date does to the address schedule.
- New Year’s Day. Thursday, January 1
- Martin Luther King Day. Monday, January 19
- Lincoln’s Birthday. Thursday, February 12
- Presidents’ Day. Monday, February 16
- United Farmworkers Day, observed. Monday, March 30
- Memorial Day. Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth. Friday, June 19
- Independence Day. Saturday, July 4
- Labor Day. Monday, September 7
- Columbus Day. Monday, October 12
- Veterans Day. Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day. Thursday, November 26
- Christmas Day. Friday, December 25
Common questions
Riverside collection FAQ
How do I schedule Riverside bulky item pickup?
Call Riverside at 951-826-5311. Describe each item and keep the confirmed date. Call before the close of the previous business day to cancel or reschedule without losing one of the two annual appointments.
How many free bulky pickups do Riverside residents receive?
Eligible addresses receive two free appointments per year with up to five items at each appointment. Material collected beyond five items can automatically use the second appointment.
When should Riverside bulky items be placed at the curb?
Place approved material at the curb, not in the street, by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment day. Do not put it out more than 24 hours before collection.
Does the City or Athens collect trash at my Riverside address?
Either Riverside Public Works or Athens Services can serve a residential address. Athens serves some areas such as La Sierra, University, and Orangecrest. Dial 311 to confirm the provider because holiday rules differ.
Where can Riverside residents take bulky waste for free?
On every third Saturday, residents may bring up to one ton of household trash, bulky items, recyclables, refrigerators, and yard waste to 1830 Agua Mansa Road from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring a current utility bill and cover the load. Tires are not included.
What Riverside cleanup events remain in 2026?
The September 19 event at 8095 Lincoln Avenue accepts electronics, household bulbs and batteries, boxed paper for shredding, and qualifying textile donations. The October 17 bulky item event uses three published Riverside locations. Both run from 8 a.m. to noon.
Can Riverside curbside bulky pickup take a mattress or yard trimmings?
Yes, if the mattress is completely wrapped or bagged. Yard trimmings must be tied into bundles no more than 18 inches in diameter and 36 inches long. Large limbs, trunks, and stumps do not qualify.
How do Riverside holidays change collection?
City and Athens routes use different rules. City routes usually move one day when the holiday falls on the scheduled service day, except Wednesday holidays. Athens routes move one day after Monday through Friday holidays. Saturday holidays do not delay service.
Where can Riverside residents take paint, chemicals, or electronics?
Use the free Agua Mansa household hazardous waste facility at 1780 Agua Mansa Road on a nonholiday Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Riverside County limits each trip to 15 gallons or 125 pounds, and containers cannot exceed five gallons or 50 pounds.
Sources used for this guide
Official supporting information
TrashDayFinder used these public sources to prepare the resident guidance above. They were checked on August 31, 2026 and are provided here as evidence.
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