Trash, Recycling & Hazardous Waste

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Below is important information on a number of services and programs related to waste disposal.

Walk Out Service

Athens Services offers free "walk-out service" to residential customers that are physically unable to place their trash carts out on trash day. With this service, Athens staff will roll the carts out to the street from where they are stored on the property and return them after service. This service is also available to all other customers for a fee. Please contact Athens Services at 888-336-6100 for more information.

Bulky Item Pick-up

All residential customers are entitled to two free pick-ups per year for large items that do not fit in the trash cart. There are limitations on the types of items that can be included in these pick-ups so please contact Athens Services at 888-336-6100 to learn more and to schedule a pick-up. Additional bulky item pick-ups are available for a fee. Residents of multi-family dwellings may also request pick-ups for a fee.

Holiday Schedule

2025-26 Rate Increases

On December 13, 2022, the City of Hermosa Beach approved amendments to the agreements with Athens Services for solid waste and street sweeping services. These amendments will help the City comply with important new State recycling laws (such as SB1383, the Organic Waste Reduction law), add new cleaning services citywide, and extend Athens’ service to our community for another 10 years. To help fund these additional programs, Athens will be implementing extraordinary rate increases. Beginning January 1, 2023, residential customers will see a 15% increase to their trash bills. For the typical service level of one 65-gallon trash cart, this means your current rate of $13.32 per month will increase to $15.28 per month. Equivalent increases will be applied in equal increments on July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024 as well. Commercial customers will see increases of 18.3% in the same three phases beginning January 1, 2023. A notice for the public hearing (in compliance with Article XIIID of the California Constitution and Proposition 218) was sent to all customers and property owners. The notice can be viewed here: FINAL NOTICE

The final portion of the extraordinary rate increase is scheduled for July 1, 2024.

For any questions, please call Athens Services at 888-336-6100 or contact the City Manager's office at 310-750-3603.

You may also access the staff report for this item at: City of Hermosa Beach - File #: REPORT 22-0666 (legistar.com)

The complete list of the proposed rates can be found here: Approved Trash Rates July 202 5-26

Mandatory Organics Recycling

Recent state regulations require all California cities to implement solid waste and organic recycling programs by January 2022 to reduce waste and combat climate change caused by the release of methane gases from landfills. In addition to requiring the recycling of plastic bottles and other solid waste, the State is now requiring the recycling of organic waste, which includes yard clippings, food waste and some soiled paper. To comply with the State’s requirements, on May 25, 2021, the Hermosa Beach City Council adopted an Ordinance establishing mandatory recycling.

Edible Food Recovery

The City is proud to be home to an excellent local food recovery organization. Hope in Action is a food outreach program through Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach, situated on the corner of PCH and Artesia at 2420 Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Hope in Action distributes food on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 4 pm. All are welcome and the program provides all basic food necessities.

If you have any questions or want to donate to the program's food pantry, please call: 310-374-4679 ext. 145.

Additional Resources

The City is actively reaching out to the community to explain these new programs and to get them implemented soon. More information is forthcoming and a Frequently Asked Questions sheet is provided below. All customers in Hermosa Beach are currently able to recycle organic waste. If you do not currently have organic waste service (green cart), you can subscribe anytime by contacting Athens Services. For this and any other questions about this service, please contact Athens at 888-336-6100.

Athens has a number of helpful videos and resources on their website as well:

Athens Services Organics Page

FINAL ORGANICS FAQS

Hermosa Beach Residential Organics Flyer

More information can be found on the CalRecycle website: Frequently Asked Questions about Implementing SB 1383 - CalRecycle Home Page

Scheduling Service

Please contact Athens Services at (888) 336-6100 for customer service or visit their website (commercial or residential portal) for information on available services including:

Starting / stopping service - trash, recycling and organic waste disposal.
Bulky item pickups including e-waste for residential customers - schedule by calling (855) 557-1007 or visit their website to complete a Request Services form.
Cart/bin sizes and pickup frequency options.
Collection map, schedules (including holiday schedule) and cart placement details.
Compost / worm bins at reasonable cost.
Holiday tree recycling.
What and what does not go in each container - landfill (black), recycling (blue) & organics (green) - prohibited materials include hazardous waste, e-waste, medical waste and construction/demolition debris.

Contract and Rate Information

Current Rates - Athens Services Rate Sheet - July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024
Approval of Agreement with Arakelian Enterprises (Athens Services) to provide integrated solid waste management services from July 2013 to June 2021 with a City option to extend the contract for up to two additional years - March 26, 2013 - view staff report
The solid waste franchise agreement and amendments can be found here:
- Solid Waste Amendment Fully Executed 1-24-23
- Original Solid Waste Agreement and Amendments

Hazardous Waste Disposal Options

Local drop-off centers for residential waste are operated by the Los Angeles City Sanitation District (view S.A.F.E website):

Harbor Area S.A.F.E. Center - 1440 N. Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 - Saturday & Sunday - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hyperion S.A.F.E. Center - 7660 West Imperial Highway, Gate B, Playa del Rey, CA 90293 - Saturday & Sunday - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

UCLA S.A.F.E. Center - 550 Charles E. Young Drive West, Los Angeles, CA 90095 - Thursday, Friday & Saturday - 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

...view flyer for additional S.A.F.E. drop off locations and hours

Accepted items (S.A.F.E. - Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, Electronics):

Batteries - car and household
E-waste - computers, cell phones, televisions, etc.
Fluorescent tubes and bulbs
Household cleaning products
Medicines except controlled substances
Paints and solvents
Sharps - needles and lancets - home-generated
Used motor oil and filters

Items not accepted:

Ammunition
Business / commercial wastes
Bulky items - furniture, appliances, etc.
Explosives
Marine flares / firecrackers
Medical / biological wastes
Radioactive materials
Tires

LACSD also offers periodic mobile collection events for items such as used oil, paint, electronics and household hazardous waste. Please visit the LACSD website for details.