Residential Trash, Recycling & Organics (2024)

Sharps Disposal (Needles)

Cart Colors

The City of Rancho Mirage operates under a three-cart system. The standard cart size for most single-family residential is a smaller 35-gallon cart however, residents can opt to upgrade their blue recycling and/or grey trash carts to a 65 gallon at no additional charge- call Burrtec to request a no charge size upgrade.

• Green: Organic Waste
• Blue: Recycling (cleaned and unbagged)
• Grey: Trash

Weekly Pickups

Typical residential service for most of Rancho Mirage is twice a week trash pickup, with recycling being picked up concurrently on one of these days and the organic waste on the other. Do not worry when you only see one truck picking up both waste streams as these trucks have a split body and are specifically designed to hold both.

If your pick up was missed or to find your collection day, please call Burrtec at (760) 340-2113.

Holidays

If a holiday falls on a weekday, service will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week.

Major holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

For all other holidays, residential collection remains on normal schedule.

On Your Collection Day

On collection day, please remember the following:

• If you don’t have walk-up services, your carts should be placed at curbside no later than 7 a.m. on collection day
  • Place carts side-by-side approximately 1 foot apart and at least 3 feet from any obstruction. (i.e. fire hydrant/trees)
  • Place your carts with the handles and wheels facing away from the street
  • Please remove your carts from the curbside area within 24 hours after service
• Recyclables should be cleaned and unbagged

Battery Drop off Locations

Local drop off location for household batteries includes:

City Hall, 69-825 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA
Burrtec Waste and Recycling Center, 41800 Corporate Way in Palm Desert, CA
In addition, The City hosts several Electronic Waste and Shredding events each year where household batteries can be dropped off. For more information on these services, visit our below.

Bulky Item Pick - Up

Household Hazardous Waste

Burrtec will pick up HHW for at no charge for most residents. Call Burrtec at (760) 340-2113 to schedule a pick-up or to find the nearest drop off location.

Accepted Items

Acceptable items include the following:

• Automotive Fluids
• Batteries (other than automotive)
• Cleaning Products
• Fluorescent Tubes
• Heat Lamps containing Mercury
• Non-Empty Aerosol Cans
• Paint and Solvents
• Pesticides/Herbicides
• Pool Chemicals
• Thermostats containing Mercury

Prescription Drug Disposal

Local drop off location for non-controlled prescription medications:

• City Hall, 69-825 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA

Since 2009, the Rancho Mirage has offered this free service to residents for proper disposal of old or unwanted medications in a bin at City Hall during normal business hours. This program provides residents a location to properly dispose of non-controlled prescription medications, where the medication is ground up and incinerated, as opposed to ending up in the water table or landfill.

Christmas Tree Recycling

SB-1383 (Organic Waste Reduction Law)

Dos and Don'ts of Recycling

Do you ever wonder if an item belongs in your trash or recycling carts? Often, in our efforts to be greener we place items in our recycling cart that don’t belong, and this causes contamination. Unwanted materials can ruin a collection of recyclables or shutdown a material recovery facility and be unsafe for employees processing items, especially items such as tanglers…so do your part and recycle right. Here are some helpful tips to help you decide what should go where.

No Tanglers Old garden hoses, ropes, wire hangers, or holiday lights or stringy items all belong in the trash.
No Plastic Bags Don’t bag your recyclables – keep them loose and free! Sustainability Tip: Return clean, dry plastic bags to a local retailer or grocery store.
No Clothing/Textiles Please use a donation program for items in good condition, unusable items belong in the trash.
No Hazardous Materials Items such as batteries and chemicals are not part of our curbside recycling program. These items are dangerous and cause fires. Call Burrtec to inquire on eligibility for free-pick up or available drop off locations at (760) 340-2113.
No Medications or Sharps These items are dangerous. Call Burrtec to inquire on eligibility for free-pick up or available drop off locations at (760) 340-2113.

Help us Recycle Right in Rancho Mirage by recycling the items below:

Cans & Bottles	Paper & Cardboard (Flattened)
Glass Bottles and Jars	Aluminum & Tin Can

Sorting Challenge Game

See below!

What Does the City Offer?

Document Shredding & E-Waste Collection
The document shredding and e-waste collection events are free and open to Rancho Mirage residents only with proof of residency (photo I.D., driver’s license, or utility bill showing Rancho Mirage address). Residents with a local country club access sticker on their vehicle will be permitted to enter without showing proof of residency.

Now held on the following Thursdays:
October 10 | November 14 | February 13 | March 13
From 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
Located at 71100 Highway 111 – West parkinglot.

All documents will be shredded on-site and then recycled. There is no need to remove staples or paperclips from the documents. Examples of documents one might shred include tax documents, bank statements, real estate transactions, and other legal or confidential papers that one does not want to put in the regular recycle bin.

• Shredding is limited to six (6) 12’’ x 17″ x 9″ boxes of documents (normal file box size) per resident.
• E-Waste (electronic components) such as old televisions, computers, cell phones, printers, and other small household electronics. Household batteries (e.g. “AA”, or “D” flashlight & laptop batteries) will also be accepted for recycling.

Rancho Mirage residents can also bring old electronics (e-waste) to the Burrtec Waste and Recycling Center located at 41800 Corporate Way in Palm Desert, Monday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Residents must show proof of residency to the clerk at the recycling center to take advantage of this free service. Large or bulky electronics such as TVs or computer monitors are also picked up under the City’s Bulky Item Pick-up program. Simply call Burrtec to set up an appointment for a free pick-up of large/bulky electronics on your regularly scheduled trash day. Burrtec may be reached at 760-340-2113.

How to Donate Usable Items

When considering what to do with old furniture, appliances, or other household items that are still usable, consider donation. This can not only be very helpful to others, but it also benefits the community by helping to minimize materials headed to the landfill.

Clothing & Textiles

For clothing, bedding, collectibles, or small household items, donate to a local rummage sale fundraiser that may be sponsored by a school or church, or consider donating these items to one of the many local non-profits.

Large Household Items

Furnishings, appliances and or fixtures that are still in working order and or excess from a remodeling project may be accepted by the Habitat for Humanity or a similar organization. Working items typically accepted include items such as:

• Appliances (less than 10 years old)
• Cabinets and door hardware
• Lighting
• Plumbing supplies and fixtures
• Ceiling Fans
• Doors
• Windows

Additional Information

For more information from Habitat for Humanity of the Coachella Valley, please call (760) 969-6917 or visit their website for a full list of acceptable items://hfhcv.org/.