Zero Waste LA

A Zero-Waste Program for Northeast Los Angeles.

recycLA is a collaborative initiative between public and private sectors to enhance our city by minimizing landfill waste, improving the quality of the air we breathe, and enhancing the overall cleanliness of Los Angeles.

The program features eleven collection zones with a designated service provider for each zone. Universal Waste Systems is proud to have been selected to provide recycling and waste collection services to the businesses and multifamily residences in the Northeast collection zone.

Program Features

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Expanded Recycling Options

Customers are offered a variety of container sizes for recycling paper, plastics, glass, metals, food waste, and other organic materials.

What can be recycled?
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Improved Customer Service

Customer service requests are handled directly by the city's professional staff, and then dispatched to the company serving each zone.

Submit a request
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Reduced Vehicle Emissions

All of the service providers are now using efficient, low-emission collection vehicles, and have optimized their routes to minimize the number of truck trips required.

Education and Training Resources - for you, your employees, or your tenants.

Our Zero Waste Team is available to provide onsite training to help your business implement or exand your recycling program.

Welcome Packet - English

Welcome Packet - Spanish

Food Waste Recycling

Please Recycle Poster

Food Rescue Partners

Seasonal Newsletters

Recycling Guides - Multilingual

Food Donation Guide

Organics Recycling

Other Resources

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Universal’s Zero Waste account representatives will explain how you can help improve LA’s quality of life by participating in this innovative program.

If you haven't yet heard from a Zero Waste representative, one will be contacting you soon.

In observance of Labor Day, UWS will be closed on September 2, 2024. Monday customers will be serviced on Friday, and Friday customers will be serviced on Saturday. Please contact LASAN 1-800-773-2489 to arrange for alternate collections if necessary.

Customer Service

For all customer service issues not related to billing, please contact the City of Los Angeles call center at 800-773-2489, or use the city's online service request system to file a service request.

Billing and Payment Policies

For all questions regarding your bills for service, please contact our customer service staff at 323-923-2825.

UWS bills for regular services monthly, in advance. Charges for any special services—such as installation of locks, temporary bin service, or container cleaning—are billed after the special services are provided. Payment is due within 15 days of the bill date. Late payments can result in late fees or interruptions in service.

Customers can arrange to receive copies of their bills by mail or email. UWS offers a secure online bill-pay system for our customers’ convenience, and the opportunity to set up regular auto-pay with a credit card. Our customer service representatives can discuss these options, and can be reached at 323-923-2825.

Online Bill-Pay

All customer bills include a code that lets you create an account in our customer portal so you can perform a variety of tasks. If you cannot find a code on your bill, please contact our customer service staff for assistance.

To begin the set-up process, use the link on the home page or click here. Enter the code from your bill to register. Once you have registered, your login information will be sent to the email address you provided.

As a registered customer, you can utilize all the functions available online, such as:

  • Reviewing current and past bills
  • Researching billing history
  • Verifying your service level and charges
  • Ordering changes to your regular service
  • Placing an order for new or temporary service

Rates for Service

To provide uniform and transparent monthly rates for commercial and multi-family customers, the City of Los Angeles has set rates for all services provided by the franchisees. The City has also implemented policies to determine how and when those rates can be adjusted. The three general rate categories are:

Monthly Rates apply to the regular weekly refuse and recycling collection services that most customers will receive, and are based on the number of containers, the size of the containers, and the number of times per week the containers are serviced (the service level). The rates in this schedule are based on the customer’s trash service level and include recycling service at the same frequency as the trash service.
Extra Services include installation of locks, charges for entering secured or locked areas and buildings, moving a bin or container more than 100 feet so it can be serviced by the collection vehicle, supplemental container cleaning, collection of bulky items, and administrative fees associated with returned payments, late payments, and service re-instatement.
Additional Fees apply to incidences of overfilled containers, overweight containers, and contamination found in recycling (blue) containers or organics (green) containers.

Service Guidelines

To receive the maximum benefit from the services provided by UWS, please follow these guidelines:

  1. Work with our Zero Waste representatives so that they will have a complete understanding of your service needs.
  2. On collection days, please make sure your containers are not obstructed by vehicles, debris, or other objects that will prevent our drivers from servicing them. If they are in a locked enclosure, make sure our drivers have keys or the necessary code for access.
  3. Do not overfill your containers. If the size or the frequency of collection is not adequate for the amount of trash you generate, please contact our customer service staff to increase your service. You may also schedule a visit from a Zero Waste representative to determine how you can decrease trash by increasing recycling. Overfilled containers can result in a $25 fee per occurrence.
  4. Do not place hazardous materials, electronic waste, or liquids in any of your containers, since they require special handling and disposal. Please contact our customer service staff if you have questions regarding the proper disposal of such materials. Disposing certain hazardous waste with trash is prohibited by California law, and is subject to a fine of $100 per occurrence.
  5. Do not place contaminants in your recycling or organics containers. Only the materials listed in our guidelines should be placed in your recycling (blue) containers and organics (green) containers. Contamination of recyclable materials increases the cost of recovering these materials and reduces the amount that can be recovered.

Maps of the Northeast Zone

The City of Los Angeles has created a map tool that you can use to find the zone and sub zone in which your business or building is located. Download a NE Zone map.

Recycling Guidelines

Blue Carts and Bins - Accepted Materials
  • Paper
  • Cardboard
  • Telephone books
  • Junk mail
  • Cereal and cracker boxes
  • Newspaper
  • Plastic containers: Only #1, #2, #5
  • Glass containers
  • Metal cans and other metals
  • Juice boxes
  • Paper juice and milk cartons
  • Metal pots, pans, and bowls

Materials Not Accepted

  • Pizza boxes
  • Food waste (put in green cart)
  • Hazardous and electronic waste
  • Yard waste (put in green cart)
  • Landscaping debris (put in green cart)
  • Concrete and asphalt
  • Wood and lumber (put in green cart)
  • Medical waste (needles, tubing, etc.)
  • Mixed materials (metals and plastics)
  • Toys or appliances with electronics
  • Cell phones, computers, DVD players, computer monitors, and televisions

For more information on the California Mandatory Commercial Recycling program, please visit the LA Sanitation & Environment website.

Green Carts and Bins - Accepted Materials
  • Food waste
  • Food-contaminated paper
  • Pizza boxes
  • Wood and lumber (not painted or stained)
  • Landscaping debris
  • Tress branches less than 4" in diameter and 4' in length

Materials Not Accepted

  • Metals
  • Rocks and dirt
  • Concrete and asphalt
  • Plastics
  • Plastic film and bags
  • Glass
  • Hazardous wastes and materials
What are Hazardous Materials
and How to Dispose of Them

Many materials that are used in our homes and businesses are hazardous and must be disposed of properly. Placing hazardous materials or used electronics in your black, blue, or green containers can damage our environment and cause injury to the people who handle and process those containers.  Examples of hazardous materials are:

  • Items containing mercury, such as batteries and thermometers
  • Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes
  • Sharps and needles
  • Radiological waste and contaminated materials
  • Paint
  • Motor oil
  • Pesticides
  • Solvents
  • Bleach
  • Electronic waste, defined any any item with a cord, internal battery, or battery compartment

The LA Sanitation and Environment website has information on how to properly handle and dispose of these materials.