Santa Cruz trash pickup: cost and carts
Trash service in Santa Cruz costs about $45 a month ($535 a year) for the usual option (32-gal cart); by size, service runs $28 to $153 a month. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
City of Santa Cruz refuse service. Billed by: City of Santa Cruz Resource Recovery refuse collection rates, FY 2026-27 column.
| Cart | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 20-gal cart | $27.67 | $332 |
| 32-gal cart | $44.59 | $535 |
| 64-gal cart | $95.59 | $1,147 |
| 95-gal cart | $152.94 | $1,835 |
The city lists these as monthly rates for residential cart service.
How Santa Cruz compares with nearby cities
Trash, a month
- Scotts Valley · 6 mi$31
- Santa Cruz$45
- Watsonville · 15 mi$46
- Campbell · 22 mi$54
- Los Gatos · 18 mi$59
- Saratoga · 20 mi$60
The standard cart in each city. Cities that pay for trash through property tax are not listed.
Checked October 28, 2026. Every number here comes from the public sources listed, matched by our checker.
Rates change every year; this page shows when it was last checked. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
Trash pickup in other California cities
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