Orange warns of trash pickup delays; residents should leave carts out

Orange residents should put their trash, recycling and organics carts out on their usual collection day and leave them accessible if pickup is missed, the city says, as landfill access problems threaten to slow service this week.

In an Oct. 19 advisory, the city warned residents and businesses of potential delays tied to an ongoing labor dispute involving Orange County employees.

The city said its contracted hauler, CR&R Environmental Services, reported that restricted landfill access was creating significant delays for collection vehicles across the region. According to the advisory, CR&R is arranging alternative disposal locations and adjusting operations, but longer trips may disrupt regular collection schedules.

The city did not announce a replacement pickup schedule or a date when normal service would be restored. Its instruction for a missed collection is to leave carts accessible until service resumes.

Residents considering taking waste to a landfill themselves should check current access restrictions first. In its Oct. 20 operations update, OC Waste & Recycling listed public self-haul disposal at both Olinda Alpha and Prima Deshecha landfills as closed until further notice.

The same county update listed Frank R. Bowerman and Olinda Alpha as open to commercial haulers only, and said Prima Deshecha closed at 12:15 p.m. These are the county’s reported conditions for Oct. 20; its updates page carries changing access information.

For collection questions, CR&R lists 800-826-9677 on its Orange residential services page. The city says it is monitoring conditions and communicating with the hauler as it works to limit disruptions.