Cold Canyon Landfill Solid Waste Disposal Site

Cold Canyon Landfill Solid Waste Disposal Site on Carpenter Canyon Road is the big dump for San Luis Obispo - where stuff that can’t be recycled or composted ends up. Neighbors and commercial haulers both come through here; expect trucks and heavy equipment moving around. It’s an open, working landfill rather than a neat transfer station.

There’s usually a scale/entrance booth and landfills like this charge by weight, so expect to stop to be weighed. The tipping area is wide and dusty, with bulldozers and compactors pushing loads into the pit; trailers and big trucks are common. Recycling and organics separation is part of California’s system, so some sorting areas or separate drop-off points are often by the entrance. Lines form on weekends and during seasonal cleanups, so traffic flow can be slow.