Catalina transfer station

Catalina Transfer Station is a local transfer station just north of town that people use when hauling junk or yard debris instead of driving out to a distant landfill. It handles neighborhood drop-offs where material is compacted and loaded into larger trucks to go elsewhere. Most users are residential drivers or small haulers from the Tucson area.

Pull in off N Oracle Rd to the entrance area and stop at a small gate or booth before proceeding into the yard. There is usually a scale and a place to weigh on the way in or out, so be prepared to stop twice if needed. The site looks like a working industrial lot-concrete or gravel surfaces, big transfer trailers, and piles or containers for different loads. Lines can form on weekends or during seasonal cleanups, and the desert climate makes it dusty and hot in summer so visibility and comfort change with the wind and sun.