South Tahoe Refuse
and Recycling Services

Curbside Collection

South Tahoe Refuse is transitioning from curbside manual collection to semi-automated cart collection beginning September 2024. Cart delivery begins August 26th. Select your state below to get all the info you need on the new system.

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California

Nevada

OUR SERVICES

Residential

Commercial

Hazardous Waste

Recycling Buy-Back Center

Bear Info

Dumpster

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What Goes Where?

Type the name of a waste item and we will tell you where and how to recycle or dispose of it.

Or to find your pickup day, begin typing your address in the calendar search bar below, and click the address that matches your closest living address.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s a balancing act, but everyone can do their part. Think reduce. It’s a step toward Zero Waste and reduced greenhouse gasses. Less demand means less stress on the environment to provide for us now, as well as future generations.

Recycle Rate

63%

Green waste Composted annually

15,000 tons

materials diverted from landfill annually

100,000 tons

JSP_5226

Our Latest Updates

Easy, Reliable, Green

Recycling Buy-Back Center

Receive cash for aluminum, glass and plastic.

Buy Back location

2192 Ruth Ave South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Pay your bill online

Sign in to your account to make a payment.

get in touch

Have any questions? Contact us!

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southtahoerefuse

South Tahoe Refuse proudly serves the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, and Douglas County.

Happy America Recycles Day! 🎉 As we celebrate t

Happy America Recycles Day! 🎉 As we celebrate today, we're thrilled to have our new blue-lid recycle carts! We're getting more clean, un-contaminated recyclables in the carts than we anticipated! In October alone we collected 165 TONS of recyclables from the new carts. Way to go South Tahoe!

Hope you had a spooky Halloween! If you still have

Hope you had a spooky Halloween! If you still have your pumpkin laying around, you can bring it in to be composted through our food scraps program. Drop-off is at the Recycle Buy-Back Center located at 2192 Ruth Ave. and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9am-4pm. And it's free for all residential customers!

We’re back with another #ToteTidbitTuesday and i

We’re back with another #ToteTidbitTuesday and it’s yard waste week! Just a friendly reminder to please not overfill the carts. If your cart is filling up, you can use paper yard waste bags or 32-gallon rubbermaid type cans for the extra. Over-stuffed carts are hard to empty and can get overweight. The 95-gallon carts have a weight limit of 80 pounds and all other size carts have a weight limit of 50 pounds .

While plastic clamshell containers are technically

While plastic clamshell containers are technically recyclable, the process is incredibly difficult and inefficient. A #1 clamshell container is not the same as a #1 bottle, and they can't be recycled in the same way. If clamshells end up with other plastics, they create significant contamination issues since they require a different heating process and must be recycled separately. To avoid this, place them in your garbage cart or bin—not your recycling.
#WhatGoesWhereWednesday

Back again for #ToteTidbitTuesday and today we are

Back again for #ToteTidbitTuesday and today we are highlighting the service guide collection calendar again! Pick up still alternates weeks for recycling and yard waste carts, while trash is picked up every week. You can always check with STR app to check your collection date!

#WhatGoesWhereWednesday: Food Waste Edition In som

#WhatGoesWhereWednesday: Food Waste Edition
In some communities, food waste goes directly into green carts, but here in South Lake Tahoe, things are a bit different. Due to our unique high-elevation environment and concerns about bear access, our community has received a waiver from the State of California for curbside food waste collection. As a result, all food waste should be placed in your garbage cart/bin—not in your yard waste cart.

You also have the option to bring your food waste to our Buy-Back Center, where it can be disposed of free of charge. If you are interested in a free food waste bucket, swing by our main office.

It's everyone's favorite day, #ToteTidbitTuesday!

It's everyone's favorite day, #ToteTidbitTuesday! Our system at STR is a little different than some other parts of California because our green cart is for yard waste ONLY! We do not accept food in the green cart because of the bear activity. Keep the green clean😀

All carts came with a Service Guide - a super help

All carts came with a Service Guide - a super helpful packet of information tied to the handle on one of the carts. Check it out to answer any questions you have! Thanks for using your carts!

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