As the City of San Diego continues to deliver new gray trash bins to more than 225,000 homes, approximately 20% of homes have received the bins so far, with more than 50,000 delivered since the phased rollout of new bins began last month.  

Households that are eligible for City-provided trash service will receive their new trash bins by March 2026 and new recycling bins by late summer. Gray trash bins will be delivered first, and then the City will deliver new, light blue recycling bins and remove the old ones on a later visit.  

For most customers, the delivery will occur on their regular trash day schedule, and crews will also remove the old black trash bins within the same day. As the older bins are being removed, they are being recycled into new bins and other products.  

Customers can check their delivery date by searching their property address on the City’s bin delivery schedule. The phased rollout ensures that every customer will have the opportunity to receive a new bin, and the City will provide additional opportunities for old bins to be collected if a customer misses their scheduled day. 

“Our teams are working hard to ensure a smooth bin delivery and pickup process, but we know there will be hiccups, and we appreciate the patience of our customers,” said Jeremy Bauer, Assistant Director for Environmental Services. “If traffic, construction or other challenges keep us from completing a route on its scheduled day, we have contingencies in place and will proactively return on a future date. We also encourage residents to engage with us using the Get It Done app or directly through our call center.” 

As the bin rollout continues, crews are generally completing all deliveries of new gray containers on their scheduled days. However, if a delivery date has passed and someone has not received a new container, City staff are available to assist. Contact ESD at trash@sandiego.gov or 858-694-7000. 

If a customer receives their new gray container but their old black container is not removed on the same day, this could be the result of unanticipated delays in the delivery schedule or because the resident pulled the container back onto their property before the crew was able to access it. In this case, the customer should place the black container out with their gray container on the following collection day for removal. If the black container needs to be removed sooner, or is still on the property after one week, the resident is encouraged to report the issue on Get It Done and leave their container out and accessible for removal. In these cases, the City targets removal on the same day or the day after the scheduled trash collection day, or on the following Saturday if necessary. 

Delivery of new trash and recycling bins is expected to continue through late summer 2026. After customers have received their new bins, the City will collect only from the new bins. Until then, the City will continue to service old containers to avoid disruptions in customer service.  

Green organic waste bins, which were provided to more than 200,000 City households in 2023, will not be provided at this time unless a customer doesn’t already have one or they request an additional green bin. 

Environmental Services notified customers about their bin delivery dates and other instructions through mailers sent to property owner addresses. Those who opt in for notifications when setting up their account in the Residential Waste Collection Services Portal will also receive text and/or email alerts. Property owners who have not done so are still encouraged to set up an account in the Waste Collection Services Portal at wasteportal.sandiego.gov.