Carlsbad Dump (Palomar Transfer Station) 2026: Hours, Costs & Guide

The Carlsbad dump is the Palomar Transfer Station at 5960 El Camino Real, run by Republic Services. It is open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Carlsbad residents can drop off mattresses, carpet, e-waste, batteries and cardboard for free with proof of residency. Republic does not post gate prices online, so call 760-603-0153 before you load a truck. If the load is furniture, appliances or a garage worth of mixed junk, Carlsbad junk removal starts at $69 and the crew does the loading.

Palomar Transfer Station Hours (2026)

The transfer station is open every day of the week, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., per Republic Services' Carlsbad page. That includes Saturday and Sunday, which is the main reason most Carlsbad people with a weekend project end up here.

Republic does not publish a last entry time or a holiday schedule for the station itself. If you are heading over late in the afternoon or on a holiday weekend, call the station office at 760-603-0153 first. The general Republic line, 760-332-6464, handles curbside and bulky pickup questions.

How Much Does It Cost to Dump in Carlsbad?

Republic does not post Palomar's gate fees online. The station's own flyer only says that fees may apply for construction debris and excess household trash. We would rather tell you that than repeat a number from a random review site, so call 760-603-0153 with what you are bringing and roughly how much of it.

What is published is the list of things Carlsbad residents can drop off for free, covered in the next section. For everything else, plan on paying at the scale, and budget for the truck if you do not own one. A rented pickup runs $75 to $150 for the day, and that is before gas and the two or three hours it takes to load, drive and unload.

For comparison, our pickup prices are flat: $69 to $100 for a single item, $249 for a quarter load, $349 for a half load and $495 for a full truck, with loading, hauling and disposal included. The junk removal cost guide breaks down what fits in each load size.

What Carlsbad Residents Can Drop Off for Free

Carlsbad residents can drop these off at Palomar at no charge, as long as they bring proof of residency, like a utility bill, a waste bill or a driver's license with a Carlsbad address. This list comes from the Palomar Transfer Station flyer.

• Mattresses and carpet (go through the scales)
• Electronic waste, meaning anything with a plug
• Household batteries, lithium ion batteries and light bulbs (no broken bulbs)
• Used motor oil and cooking oil (kits available)
• Sharps in a rigid container
• Cardboard
• CRV bottles and cans at the buyback center, which pays you
• Mulch and compost, which you can take home

The mattress drop off is the one most people do not know about. If the only thing going is an old queen set and you have a truck, that trip costs you nothing but time. If you do not have a truck, our mattress disposal service picks it up from inside the house.

The Carlsbad Recycling Center (Buyback)

When people search for the Carlsbad recycling center, this is usually the place they mean. The Recycling Buyback Center sits on the same Palomar site and pays CRV on bottles and cans Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Sundays even though the transfer station is open.

Sort your containers by material before you go and keep them out of your trash load, since anything that rides in with trash gets weighed as trash. The same site also gives away free mulch and compost Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., so bring a few buckets or an empty truck bed if you are redoing planters.

Free Bulky Item Pickup in Carlsbad

Before you rent anything, check whether the city's curbside program covers it. Carlsbad residents with Republic service get free bulky item pickup three times a year, up to five items each time. Call 760-332-6464 at least 24 hours ahead and have everything at the curb by 7 a.m. Mattresses have to be wrapped in plastic.

The program will not take household hazardous waste, tires, construction debris, fencing, pallets, sinks or tubs. If you have more than five items, things that are still inside the house, or you need it gone this week, that is where a same day junk removal crew earns its money.

What Palomar Will Not Take, and Where It Goes

Palomar does not accept household hazardous waste: paint thinners, solvents, aerosols, pesticides, pool chemicals and automotive fluids other than motor oil. Carlsbad sends residents to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at 1145 E. Taylor St. in Vista, open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free for Carlsbad residents, and there is a $10 home pickup option that is free for residents 65 and older. Details are on the City of Carlsbad hazardous waste page.

Construction debris like concrete, asphalt, roof tile, dirt, drywall and untreated wood is accepted, but fees may apply and painted or treated wood is not taken. For a remodel cleanup, our construction debris removal crew sorts it and takes it to the right facility.

Getting to the Carlsbad Dump

The station sits east of El Camino Real near the Carlsbad Safety Training Center and Fire Station 5. Per Republic's site map, you reach the entrance on Orion Street off Faraday Avenue, so from El Camino Real turn onto Faraday and then onto Orion. Put the address 5960 El Camino Real in your map app and follow the entrance signs.

Cover your load. California Vehicle Code section 23114 requires a secured load on the road, and a sheet of drywall coming off a pickup on Palomar Airport Road is a ticket waiting to happen. Bring a tarp and a few straps.

When Hiring a Hauler Beats the Carlsbad Dump

The dump run makes sense when you own a truck, the load is light and you have a free afternoon. It stops making sense when the stuff is heavy, upstairs or still in the house.

• Big furniture, like a sectional or a dresser that needs two people. See furniture disposal.
• Appliances that need a dolly. See appliance removal.
• Whole rooms or whole houses, like a move out or an estate cleanout.
• Anything that has to be gone today. We run same day pickups across North County, including Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos.

Heading inland instead? The Escondido dump guide covers the EDCO station on Washington Avenue, and the Oceanside dump guide explains where Oceanside residents take their loads. For Miramar and the rest of the county, see San Diego dump fees, and for service anywhere in the county, start with San Diego junk removal.

Frequently Asked Questions