Landfills · Mattresses · Refrigerators · Construction Debris · Hazardous Waste
Where to Dump in Temecula: A Local Disposal Guide
There's no landfill in Temecula. A pickup load of household junk costs $15.70 at a Riverside County landfill, mattresses ride free if you haul them separately, and paint, propane, and batteries go to the county's free hazardous waste drop-offs. Here's where each thing goes, what it costs, and when it's cheaper to text me a photo instead.
Family-owned in Temecula since 2021 · Licensed & insured · 5,000+ loads since 2021
Wild West Junk Removal · 41713 Niblick Rd, Temecula, CA 92591 · (951) 837-8072 · Mon to Sat: 7AM-7PM · Sun: Closed · Family-owned and operated by Weston Molitor since 2021
The Closest Dump
Where Is the Closest Dump to Temecula?
There isn't one in town. Temecula has no landfill and no transfer station, so a self-haul load drives north to El Sobrante Landfill in Corona, Badlands Landfill in Moreno Valley, or Lamb Canyon Landfill in Beaumont. CR&R's transfer station in Perris is the shortest drive, but call it before you load.
People call us about this every week. Somebody cleaned out the garage over the weekend, the truck bed is full, and they want to know where the local dump is. CR&R empties Temecula's carts, but the landfills belong to Riverside County, and all three sit a long way up the freeway. Here's what each one is good for, going by the county's landfill hours and locations.
El Sobrante Landfill
10910 Dawson Canyon Rd, Corona. Open to the public 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Waste Management runs it, but the county's gate fees apply. It has the latest gate of the three, which matters if you're still loading after lunch. Two mattresses a day ride free.
Badlands Landfill
31125 Ironwood Ave, Moreno Valley. 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. County-run. Up to five mattresses a day free, an ABOP and PaintCare drop-off on site for paint, oil, and batteries, and free compost while you're there.
Lamb Canyon Landfill
16411 Lamb Canyon Rd, Beaumont. 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. County-run, with the same five-mattress and free-compost deal as Badlands, and it sends the mattresses it takes from residents to recycling.
Perris Transfer Station
1706 Goetz Rd, Perris · (951) 943-1991. This is CR&R's facility and the closest one to Temecula. It sets its own public hours and rates, so call before you put anything in the truck.
The gate closes on time
Badlands and Lamb Canyon stop taking loads at 4:30, and El Sobrante at 6. Be in line well before that, not pulling in at 4:25. The county landfills also close on major holidays, so check the county's holiday flyer before a long weekend.
Gate Fees
What Does It Cost to Dump a Load in Riverside County?
A pickup truck or a single trailer of household junk is a flat $15.70 at the county landfills, under the rates that run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. A pickup towing a trailer is $43.20. Bigger vehicles that aren't on the flat-rate list get weighed and pay $52.68 a ton, with a $43.20 minimum.
Those numbers come straight from the county's 2026-27 schedule of waste disposal fees. The schedule lists El Sobrante alongside Badlands and Lamb Canyon, so in-county loads pay the same gate fees there even though Waste Management operates it. What changes your price is what's in the load, not which gate you pick.
| What's in the load | Car, SUV, or van | Pickup or one trailer (up to 8 ft bed) | Pickup towing a trailer (up to 8 ft, 4 ft high) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routine refuse: household junk, furniture, most remodel scrap | $15.70 | $15.70 | $43.20 |
| Hard to handle: heavy demolition debris, big rootballs, end dumps | $21.10 | $21.10 | $57.10 |
| Mixed green waste: yard waste with fronds, sod, wood, or trash in it | $20.05 | $20.05 | $52.75 |
| Clean green waste: grass, trimmings, bushes (Badlands and Lamb Canyon only) | $14.65 | $14.65 | $37.05 |
On top of the load fee, the county adds $7 for each appliance, $6 for each tire, and $25 if the load shows up uncovered. A resident hauling two bags of trash or less, or up to two old tube TVs or monitors, pays nothing. If your truck and trailer together weigh 0.41 tons or less, the routine rate for that combination drops to $17.75.
What If the Load Isn't Covered?
You pay $25 at the scale. The load has to arrive tarped or strapped down, the county's gate staff decide whether it's secure, and you're not allowed to tarp it at the scale to get out of the charge. The rule is spelled out on the county's landfill fees page, and it applies at every site during every operating hour.
Tarp and strap it in your driveway. A ratchet strap and a cheap tarp cost less than the surcharge, and whatever blows out on Winchester Road ends up in somebody's windshield.
Mattresses
Where Can I Dispose of an Old Mattress in Temecula?
For free, if you can get it into a truck. Badlands and Lamb Canyon take up to five mattresses or box springs per person per day at no charge, and El Sobrante takes two free, as long as they ride separately from other trash. If a store is delivering your new mattress, California law makes it offer to take the old one at no charge.
The catch is the word "separately." The county's mattress rules charge a load that mixes mattresses in with other junk: at Badlands and Lamb Canyon the whole load gets weighed at the routine rate, and at El Sobrante it's charged as hard to handle. Make the mattress run its own trip.
The retailer take-back is real, and CalRecycle spells it out: a store that delivers a new mattress has to offer to take the old one at no extra charge, and an online seller that ships by carrier has to offer to arrange the pickup within 30 days. Other free routes are the Bye Bye Mattress drop-off finder, MBC Mattress Co. in Corona, which the county lists as taking every size for recycling (call first), and one of your two CR&R bulky pickups if you live in the city.
Bed-in-a-box mattresses catch people out. It arrived in a box you could carry with one hand, so it feels like it should leave the same way. It won't. Once you cut the plastic, it's a full-size mattress for good, and a queen won't fit in a car or most SUVs.
If none of the free routes work, one mattress is $210 with us, all-in, and a mattress with its box spring is $225. My mattress removal page lays every free option out side by side. If it had bed bugs, read how to get rid of a bed bug mattress before it goes anywhere.
Refrigerators
How Do I Recycle a Refrigerator in Riverside County?
Empty it and drive it to a Riverside County landfill, where a resident can drop off up to four appliances a day for the load fee plus $7 each, or take it to a certified appliance recycler. One fridge in a pickup runs $22.70 at the gate.
The $7 is the county's charge for the special handling an appliance needs, refrigerant included. Its appliance rules are strict about how the fridge arrives:
- ✓Tell them at the scale that you have an appliance on board.
- ✓Keep it out of the rest of the load. A load with appliances mixed into other trash gets refused.
- ✓Take out every bit of food. A fridge with food in it gets turned away.
- ✓Don't bring commercial units, propane fridges, or ammonia or CO2 units. They aren't accepted.
- ✓Only residents can drop off. Appliances from a business, a property manager, a real estate company, or out of county aren't accepted.
The other routes: the store delivering your new fridge will usually offer to haul the old one, so ask when you order. If you're putting it out for a CR&R bulky pickup, ask CR&R how its appliance route handles refrigerant before it goes to the curb. And the state keeps a list of certified appliance recyclers if you'd rather drive it to one yourself.
With us, one fridge or freezer is $225: our $195 quarter load plus the $30 appliance fee, with the carry and the recycler inside that number. Refrigerator removal covers how we get it out of the kitchen, and disposing of a fridge with Freon covers what the law says about the refrigerant.
Construction Debris
Where Can I Take Construction Debris Near Temecula?
To a Riverside County landfill, as long as there's no asbestos or other hazardous material in it. Drywall, lumber, roofing, and remodel scrap pay the routine rate, $15.70 for a pickup, when at least 75 percent of the load is pieces under 300 pounds. Concrete, asphalt, and clean fill dirt count as routine too.
Go over that line with big slabs or beams and the whole load reprices as hard to handle. So does anything you end-dump, and so do tree trunks and rootballs over 200 pounds. Treated wood, like old fence posts and deck framing, needs the county's approval before you bring it in.
If you'd rather keep it out of the landfill, the county's construction and demolition page links to its list of C&D recyclers. If the job is under a building permit, the city may want proof of where the debris went. That's the CalGreen diversion rule, and my CalGreen guide for Temecula contractors covers what the paperwork has to show.
Debris is where people misjudge weight. Broken concrete, tile, and wet dirt get heavy long before the bed looks full, so those are the loads I'll ask to see in a photo before I quote. If you'd rather we load it, construction debris removal is priced by trailer volume like everything else we haul.
Free City Pickup
Does Temecula Offer Free Bulky-Item Pickup?
Yes. City of Temecula residents get two free CR&R bulky-item pickups a year. Call CR&R at (800) 755-8112 during business hours and schedule ahead, and ask what counts as one pickup when you call, because those rules are CR&R's and they change.
The city confirms the program in its residential trash FAQ, and most people never use it. For a couch, a dresser, or one mattress that can sit at the curb until your scheduled day, it's the cheapest option there is. If you call me first for a job like that, I'll tell you to use it.
The city also holds Citywide Clean-Up days at Chaparral High School, open to Temecula residents with proof of residency. The dates move around, so watch the city's trash and recycling page.
Where the free pickup stops working: more than CR&R will take in one pickup, anything that can't sit at the curb until the scheduled day, a third pickup in the same year, or a pile that has to be gone today.
What Nobody Should Haul
What Items Are Prohibited From Regular Junk Removal?
Household hazardous waste: paint and solvents, propane, pool and garden chemicals, motor oil and antifreeze, batteries, and fluorescent tubes. No Riverside County landfill accepts it, so no honest junk hauler puts it in a load. Asbestos, medical waste and sharps, ammunition, and explosives are out too.
Tires are the odd one. They aren't hazardous, but California makes anyone hauling ten or more at a time register as a waste tire hauler, and we're not registered, so they stay off our trailer. You can take up to five passenger or light-truck tires a day to a county landfill yourself at $6 each, or pay a tire shop to take them.
Most of the rest goes free to the county's household hazardous waste drop-offs. The two closest to Temecula are both Saturday-only:
| Item | Where it goes | When |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, stain, and primer | Murrieta ABOP and PaintCare yard, 25315 Jefferson Ave, or a PaintCare store | Murrieta: non-holiday Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Motor oil and filters, antifreeze, car and household batteries | Murrieta ABOP yard, or the ABOP drop-off at Badlands or Lamb Canyon | Murrieta: Saturdays 9 to 2. Landfills: during landfill hours |
| BBQ and camp-size propane, aerosols, pool chlorine, pesticides, cleaners, fluorescent tubes, TVs and computers | Lake Elsinore permanent HHW facility, 512 N. Langstaff St | First Saturday of each month except January: 9 to 2 from October through May, 7 to noon June through September |
| Sharps and needles | County sharps kiosks, or the Lake Elsinore HHW facility | Kiosk hours vary by location |
| Tires | Any county landfill, residents only, five a day, $6 each, or a tire shop | Landfill hours |
County HHW sites take nothing from businesses, no container over 5 gallons or 50 pounds, and no gas cylinder over 40 pounds. Check the Lake Elsinore facility and Murrieta yard pages before you go.
A few of these mixed into a cleanout is fine. Set them aside, we haul the rest, and you make one Saturday trip with the box of cans. The full list, with the reasons behind each one, is on what we can't take.
Dump Run or Hire?
When Is Hiring Someone Cheaper Than the Dump Run?
When the pile won't fit in one trip, sits upstairs or out back, has an appliance or a mattress mixed in, or has to be gone today. Our price is by trailer volume, $195 for a quarter load up to $595 for a full 12-yard trailer, with labor, fuel, the carry, and disposal inside the number.
Quarter Load
3 cubic yards
$195
The minimum. A full pickup bed fits here.
Half Load
6 cubic yards
$350
About two or three pickup trips to the landfill
Three-Quarter Load
9 cubic yards
$495
Roughly four pickup beds
Full Load
12 cubic yards
$595
Five or six pickup beds' worth
Every price includes the two-person crew, loading from wherever the junk sits, fuel, the drive, disposal and recycling fees, and sweeping up after. One hour of loading comes with a full load. No deposit.
Add-ons, stated before we load
- Stairs
- $150 on loads up to a half load, $300 on anything bigger. No stair charge if there's an elevator we can use.
- Appliances
- $30 each for a fridge, freezer, or AC unit.
- Mattresses and box springs
- $15 each, any size.
- Extra loading time
- Past the hour included with a full load, $75 per hour per crew member.
Household hazardous waste can't ride in the load at any price. A full load is 12 cubic yards in our 12ft × 8ft × 4ft dump trailer.
Text a photo and you get a load size and a firm price before we roll out. On site we confirm what the photo showed: if it comes in smaller, you pay the smaller price; if the pile grew, we re-quote before anything goes on the trailer. Nothing is added after loading starts. No deposit.
What Does a Dump Run Actually Cost You?
A pickup load of household junk is $15.70 at the gate, plus $25 if it isn't covered, plus the drive to Corona or Beaumont and back, plus loading and unloading it by hand. If you've got the truck, a helper, and a free morning, that's cheaper than me, and I'll tell you so on the phone. The math flips when it takes two trips, when there's a fridge that has to ride on its own, when it's upstairs, or when you'd be renting a trailer to do it.
| Job | Cheapest do-it-yourself route | Wild West, all-in |
|---|---|---|
| One mattress | Free at Badlands or Lamb Canyon, hauled by itself | $210 |
| One refrigerator, emptied | $22.70 at a county landfill with your pickup | $225 |
| A couch that can wait at the curb (City of Temecula) | Free on a CR&R bulky pickup | $195 |
| One full pickup bed of garage junk | $15.70, plus the drive and the unloading | $195 |
| Two pickup beds of mixed junk plus an old fridge | Two or three trips, with the fridge riding alone on one | $380 (half load + $30) |
| Paint, propane, or batteries | Free at the county drop-offs | We can't take it |
The full breakdown, including single-item prices, is on our junk removal pricing page. Same prices across Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, and the rest of Southwest Riverside County.
Who Wrote This
Who's Behind This Guide?
I'm Weston Molitor, and I started Wild West Junk Removal in Temecula in 2021. I wrote this because the answer to "where's the dump?" is farther away than most people think, and you should know the free options before you pay anybody, me included.
Weston Molitor
Founder · Wild West Junk Removal · Temecula, CAWe're family-owned, licensed and insured, and we've hauled more than 5,000 loads since 2021 out of 41713 Niblick Rd. Those loads go to the places on this page: the county landfills, mattress and appliance recyclers, and the charities on our where your junk actually goes page.
The rules here come from the county's and the city's own pages, not from forum posts. Riverside County resets its gate fees every July 1, and the numbers on this page are the ones in effect through June 30, 2027.
"If you've got a truck, a tarp, and a free Saturday, the dump is cheaper than me. Call me when it isn't."
What customers say
★★★★★
Wild West Junk Removal did a wonderful job getting 2.14 tons of yard & construction waste off my property, including the demolition of a construction grade dog house. They communicated clearly, were super professional & got everything done fast. They left the space where the trash was clean of all debris and made our lives much easier. If you are looking for an honest and reputable company, they are the place to go to.
★★★★★
Great local company. The ease of setting a next day appointment was nice since i was pressed for time. Crew came out on time and were extremely friendly they gave a fair quote for the work I needed done, Wild West quote had came in HUNDREDs $$ of dollars lower than other local Temecula Valley Junk shop wanted to charge for the same job.. The work and clean up was fast and they left the area broom clean as if no trash or junk had been there. Would highly recommend Wild West Junk Removal and use their services again. Thanks Guys, Great Job. Glad to support local business that give great service and fair pricing
FAQ
What Else Do People Ask About Dumping in Temecula?
You pay for it. Riverside County's fee schedule charges $60 for every 15 minutes a customer is still on site past closing, timed at the pay window on the way out. Badlands and Lamb Canyon close at 4:30 p.m. and El Sobrante at 6 p.m., so get in line well before then.
Yes, if you're a resident. County landfills take up to five passenger or light-truck tires per resident per day at $6 a tire. They don't take semi-truck tires, and they don't take tires from businesses. Tire shops around Temecula take them too, usually for a fee.
Yes. Each resident can bring up to two tube TVs or monitors a day at no charge. Badlands and Lamb Canyon also take other household electronics from residents, and the Lake Elsinore hazardous waste facility takes TVs and computers on its first-Saturday dates. Our e-waste guide covers the rest.
To the Lake Elsinore permanent hazardous waste facility at 512 N. Langstaff St., which takes barbecue and camp-size propane free on the first Saturday of each month except January. The Murrieta drop-off on Jefferson Avenue doesn't take propane, and county facilities won't take a cylinder over 40 pounds. Never put one in the trash or in a junk load.
Only if it's clean. A pickup of clean green waste, meaning grass, trimmings, and bushes, is $14.65 at Badlands and Lamb Canyon, against $15.70 for routine trash. Add palm fronds, sod, cactus, lumber, or a bag of trash and it becomes mixed green waste at $20.05, which costs more than trash. The green waste bin guide covers what your cart takes for free.
Yes. Badlands in Moreno Valley and Lamb Canyon in Beaumont give away compost during normal hours, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. You load it yourself, and you have to be done and out by 4:30.
Because the landfill won't take it from a hauler. Riverside County accepts appliances from residents only, and its rules specifically exclude businesses and cleanup crews hauling from private homes, so a hauler has to take the fridge to a certified appliance recycler. A resident with a pickup pays about $22.70 at the gate. Our $225 is the $195 minimum load plus the $30 appliance fee, with the carry and the recycler included.
No. The two free CR&R bulky pickups belong to City of Temecula addresses. French Valley and Winchester are unincorporated county areas without that program, and other cities have their own trash contracts. Riverside County's trash hauler lookup tells you who serves your address, and that hauler can tell you what its bulky-item program covers.
Keep Reading
Disposal Guides and Related Services
Mattress Removal in Temecula
One mattress is $210 all-in, carried from wherever it sits and taken to a recycler.
Bed Bug Mattress Disposal
What California law requires before an infested mattress leaves the house.
Refrigerator Removal
$225 for one fridge or freezer, with the refrigerant handled by a certified recycler.
Disposing of a Fridge With Freon
The federal and state rules, and every legal route compared.
Construction Debris Removal
Drywall, concrete, roofing, and demo waste, priced by trailer volume.
CalGreen Diversion Rules
What Temecula contractors have to document about where the debris went.
What Is E-Waste?
TVs, computers, batteries, and the California rules that keep them out of the trash.
The Temecula Green Waste Bin
What the green cart takes, what gets it skipped, and what to do with the overflow.
Where Your Junk Actually Goes
The charities and recyclers our loads go to before anything hits a landfill.
What We Take and Don't
The full item list, plus the short list we can't haul and why.
Junk Removal Prices
The four load sizes, every surcharge, and single-item prices.
If Someone Dumps on Your Property
What to do first, who to call, and how to get it cleared.
Rather Skip the Drive?
Text a photo of the pile to (951) 837-8072. You'll get a load size and a firm price before we roll out, and if one of the free options on this page fits your job better, I'll tell you that instead.
Wild West Junk Removal · 41713 Niblick Rd, Temecula, CA 92591 · (951) 837-8072 · service@wildwestjunkremoval.com · Mon to Sat: 7AM-7PM · Sun: Closed
| What you're getting rid of | Cheapest legal route | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A pickup load of household junk | Any county landfill, tarped | $15.70 |
| Mattress or box spring | Badlands or Lamb Canyon, hauled by itself | Free, up to 5 a day |
| Refrigerator or freezer | County landfill, residents only, emptied | Load fee + $7 |
| Couch or dresser that can wait at the curb | CR&R bulky pickup, City of Temecula | Free, twice a year |
| Construction debris, no asbestos | County landfill | $15.70 and up |
| Paint, motor oil, batteries | Murrieta ABOP yard, Saturdays | Free |
| Propane, chemicals, fluorescent tubes | Lake Elsinore HHW, first Saturdays | Free |
| Tires | County landfill, residents only | $6 each |
| All of it, loaded for you | Wild West Junk Removal | $195 to $595 |
Sources & References
- rcwaste.rivco.govRiverside County Waste Resources: Landfill Hours and LocationsAddresses and public hours for El Sobrante, Badlands, and Lamb Canyon.
- rcwaste.rivco.govSchedule of Waste Disposal Fees, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF)Flat-rate loads, per-ton rates, surcharges, late fees, and mattress, appliance, and tire limits.
- rcwaste.rivco.govLandfill Fees and Uncovered Load PolicyWhat counts as routine, green, and hard to handle, and how the uncovered-load surcharge works.
- rcwaste.rivco.govMattresses and Box SpringsFree limits per landfill and local mattress recyclers.
- rcwaste.rivco.govAppliancesResident-only appliance drop-off rules and unaccepted units.
- rcwaste.rivco.govConstruction and Demolition WasteLandfill acceptance of C&D debris and the county's list of C&D recyclers.
- rcwaste.rivco.govHousehold Hazardous WasteFree HHW and ABOP facilities, accepted and unaccepted items.
- rcwaste.rivco.govLake Elsinore Permanent HHW FacilityFirst-Saturday schedule and seasonal hours.
- rcwaste.rivco.govMurrieta ABOP and PaintCare FacilitySaturday hours and the items it takes.
- rcwaste.rivco.govFree Compost at County LandfillsBadlands and Lamb Canyon compost giveaway.
- temeculaca.govCity of Temecula: Residential Trash and Recycling FAQThe two free CR&R bulky-item pickups and Citywide Clean-Up events.
- temeculaca.govCity of Temecula: Trash and RecyclingThe city's CR&R franchise and contact numbers.
- calrecycle.ca.govCalRecycle: Mattress EPR EnforcementRetailer take-back requirements for used mattresses.
- dtsc.ca.govDTSC: Certified Appliance Recycler ProgramThe state's list of certified appliance recyclers.
- byebyemattress.comBye Bye MattressCalifornia's mattress recycling program and drop-off locator.
- paintcare.orgPaintCareFree leftover-paint drop-off sites.
- wildwestjunkremoval.comJunk Removal PricesOur four load sizes, surcharges, and single-item prices.
- wildwestjunkremoval.comWhat We Take and Don'tThe full item list and the restricted items.
Gate fees, hours, and drop-off rules checked against Riverside County Department of Waste Resources and City of Temecula pages on October 12, 2026. County gate fees reset every July 1.
Wild West prices as of October 12, 2026: quarter load $195, half load $350, three-quarter load $495, full 12-yard trailer $595, plus the surcharges listed above. County and city fees, hours, and limits are set by those agencies and can change, so call the facility before you drive.