Monterey Peninsula Sanitary Landfill

Monterey Peninsula Sanitary Landfill in Marina is where the area's trash ends up - used by homeowners cleaning out garages and by larger haulers dropping commercial loads. It's a working, industrial-looking site rather than a neat recycling center, so expect trucks, heavy equipment, and big mounds of compacted material.

Drive up to an entrance booth and there’s a scale to weigh your load; tipping fees are charged by weight so you’ll be weighed in and weighed out. The tipping area is open and dusty with loaders and compactors moving around, and trucks and trailers are common. Because California often requires organics to be separated, have recyclables and green waste sorted as much as possible before getting there. Weekends, especially during spring cleanup season, tend to get backed up-lines can form at the scale.