Big Bear Lake trash pickup days change Oct. 12, and Thursday service ends

Since Monday, October 12, 2026, many Big Bear Lake households have had a different trash day. The City of Big Bear Lake and Big Bear Disposal, Inc. announced the updated residential schedule, which runs Monday through Friday and drops Thursday collection entirely.^[1] The change covers trash, recycling and green waste. City ordinance limits carts at the curb to 24 hours, so residents still on their old day should confirm their new one.^[1]

Why the schedule changed

The city says the goal is to spread collection days more evenly across the week. According to city officials, the rebalanced routes will "increase service reliability and enable quicker response times to customer requests."^[1]

Who is affected

Not every household saw a change. The announcement says "many—though not all" residential routes changed pickup days, so each address should be checked individually.^[1] The new schedule applies to all residential solid waste, recycling and green waste services.^[1]

How to find your pickup day

Affected residential properties were to receive a postcard by mail. Drivers were also to attach tags to carts put out during the week of October 5 telling residents their new service day.^[1]

The city has posted an interactive collection map on BigBearLake.gov where residents can look up their pickup day.^[1]

Rules to keep in mind

Carts must be at the curb before 6:30 a.m. on your designated collection day. City ordinance also prohibits leaving carts at the curb for more than 24 hours, a rule the city says is meant to avoid attracting wildlife.^[1]

Residents who miss a pickup or cannot meet the 24-hour window can use the Clean Bear Drop-Off Site, which is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 41974 Garstin Drive.^[1]

Where to ask questions

Big Bear Disposal is taking questions about the change at (909) 866-3942 or bigbearcs@bigbeardisposal.com (opens in a new tab).^[1]

The information comes only from the city and Big Bear Disposal's announcement. It does not include comments from residents on former Thursday routes or any account of how the rollout has gone.