South El Monte Residential Waste & Recycling Services

- CITY OF SOUTH EL MONTE -

NEW WASTE, RECYCLING, AND ORGANICS PROGRAM

Athens Services is advancing South El Monte’s waste and recycling program. Starting January 1, 2022 residential customers will be transitioning from a manual hand-tossed mixed-waste and green waste collection program, to a source-separated waste, recycling, and organics program. This means that residential customers will need to sort their waste, recycling, and organics into three containers for pickup.

PROGRAM FAQ

CART SIZE COMPARISON

Residential Waste Collection in South El Monte

WELCOME TO

South El Monte

Your Partner to Achieving a Zero Waste Future

Athens Services is a local, family-owned waste collection and recycling company that has been a fixture in the greater Los Angeles community for the past 60 years. We provide innovative, consistent and quality environmental services to our more than 250,000 customers in the 50+ communities we serve. Through reuse, recycling and composting, Athens diverts valuable resources from landfills.

View South El Monte's

COLLECTION DAY MAP

COLLECTION TIME

To ensure your trash is collected, please make sure your barrels are out the night before trash day or by 6:00 A.M. the day of service.

HOURS OF OPERATION

South El Monte

RESOURCES

Information, standards, and special instructions!

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Holidays create a one-day delay in collection service. Athens Services observes the following holidays:

If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, waste collection services will not be delayed.

WHAT GOES IN MY CONTAINER?

Correctly reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, or dispose of unwanted items; check out Athens’ interactive “What Goes Where Guide.’’

Visit Athens’ Outreach Materials & Resources page for downloadable signage, Recycling Cheat Sheet, and additional resources.

RECYCLING

If empty of liquid and food, the following is acceptable in your blue recycling container.
Plastic:

Plastic #1 (PET) as bottles or clamshells
Plastic #2 (HDPE)
Plastic #5 (PP)
Recyclable plastics include, but are not limited to:
- Beverage & detergent jugs
- Food containers
- Soda, juice & water bottles

Paper: (clean, dry, and no metal or lamination), magazines, mail, office paper, newspaper, paper bags, & telephone books

Cardboard: broken down cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, & clean pizza boxes

Glass: bottles & jars only (remove lids)

Metals: aluminum cans, foil, & trays, scrap metal, steel cans & tin cans

Acceptable, but may not be recycled currently:

Cereal boxes (remove bag), egg cartons, frozen food boxes, & soup/milk/juice cartons

ORGANICS

Green Waste: branches; flowers; grass clippings; hedge

trimmings; leaves; weeds; & untreated/unpainted lumber, plywood, & scrap wood

Food Scraps: fruits; vegetables; bread; rice; pasta; cheese; dairy; coffee grounds; coffee filters; meat; bones; poultry; seafood; soft shells (e.g. lobster, crab, & shrimp)

Food-Soiled Paper*: 100% fiber based, compostable to-go containers & servingware, egg cartons (paper), paper napkins & kitchen towels, plates, packaging, and pizza boxes

*All items must be 100% plant-fiber based with NO petroleum-based plastic, wax, or bio-plastic coating, liner, or laminate. Must be soiled ONLY with food or drink liquids.

LANDFILL

Glass: ceramic, porcelain, & non-food related glass

Food Containers: chip bags, compostable “plant-based plastic,” juice pouches, paper coffee cups, snack bar wrappers, tea bags, & tea wrappers

Paper: bathroom & facial tissues, envelopes (padded and Tyvek), laminated or plastic coated paper, napkins, photographs, & receipts

Plastic: plastics #3 & #6 (hard & foam); all black plastics; bubble wrap; disposable gloves; garden hoses; empty motor oil containers; plastic bags & film (e.g. dry cleaning bags & cellophane); plastic toys; tarps; & small plastics (e.g. utensils, straws, serving cups, etc.)

Misc.: unusable clothing & fabric; cacti & succulents; cigarette butts; diapers; hard shells (e.g. clams, mussels, & oysters); lint; palm fronds; pet waste; produce stickers; & yucca leaves

State law prohibits the disposal of hazardous material into your containers. For proper disposal options, click here. We also ask that you do not place bulky items, construction debris, electronic waste, or automotive parts in your containers. For bulky items disposal options, click here.

The following is a list of items you should not place in your container:

Electronics can include those devices that utilize electrical wiring, plug into an electric outlet, or take a battery or light bulb. Examples include (but are not limited to): computers and accessories, circuit boards, extension cords, flashlights, microwaves, phones, stereos, and televisions.

Waste material generated during the construction, renovation, or demolition of a location cannot be placed in a standard cart or bin. Examples of C&D materials include, but are not limited to, asphalt, bricks, carpet, concrete, dirt, doors, drywall, earth, glass, construction, and cabinet lumber, masonry materials, pallets, pipes, plastics, plumbing fixtures, rocks, salvaged building components, scrap metal, roof shingles, tile, and windows.

HAZARDOUS WASTE

It is illegal to dispose of hazardous materials into your containers, down the drain, or by abandonment.

Hazardous Waste is any product labeled toxic, poisonous, corrosive, flammable, combustible, or an irritant.

Examples include (but are not limited to): antifreeze; automotive fluids; cleaning products; compressed gas cylinders (full or empty); fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides; paint; pharmaceuticals; pool chemicals; sharps waste; solvents; and more.

County of Los Angeles, S.A.F.E. Collection Center takes small business quantities by appointment only by calling (213) 485-2260. For collection of larger quantities of hazardous waste, please click here to contact Athens Services for an estimate.

BULKY ITEMS

Athens Services encourages the reuse and donation of bulky items whenever possible.

If this is not an option, Athens will, upon request only, remove bulky items, including major appliances and furniture. Please do not place bulky items or electronics in your trash containers. Doing so may cause an interruption in your service.

To schedule a pickup, please submit a Bulky Item Request.

We do not accept the following items:

Automobile parts
Construction and demolition debris including, but not limited to: dirt, concrete, tile, drywall and rock, etc. Click here to learn how to dispose.
Hazardous waste (including antifreeze; automotive fluids; cleaning products; compressed gas cylinders (full or empty); fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides; paint; pharmaceuticals; pool chemicals; solvents; and more.) Click here to learn how to dispose.
Loose or scattered building material and lumber

HOLIDAY TREE RECYCLING

Holiday trees are 100% recyclable! Athens Services collects holiday trees each year, from the day after Christmas through the second week of January, on your normal pickup day. Trees are delivered to various landfills to be used as mulch or cover material, or to Athens’ American Organics compost facility in Victorville.

Tips to ensure your tree is properly collected:

Remove stands, ornaments, lights and tinsel.
Place holiday trees next to your regular trash containers.
Trees over 6 feet in length must be cut in half.
Trees with flocking or fire retardants ARE NOT acceptable.
If you miss the date for recycling, please cut up your tree and place it in your yard waste container(s).

Please help keep our parks clean and safe during the holidays. If you see anyone illegally dumping holiday trees, please call your city’s Police Department.

STREET SWEEPING

Your city contracts with Athens Services for their street sweeping needs. Visit our Street Sweeping page to learn more and view a map with service days and areas.