Republic Services Sycamore Landfill

Republic Services Sycamore Landfill in Santee is the big county landfill where residential and commercial haulers take trash to be buried. People drop off everything from pickup loads to roll-offs, and the place looks and feels like a proper working dump rather than a tidy transfer station. Expect heavy trucks, earth-moving equipment and long rows of covered cells on the hills.

Drive up to an entrance booth and be prepared to wait in line during busy times; there’s a scale so vehicles are weighed and tipping fees are assessed by weight. Pull-ups for smaller vehicles and separate lanes for larger commercial trucks are visible, with staff directing traffic into unloading areas. The site is mostly gravel and packed dirt with big mounds of compacted material and occasional large machinery moving things around. Recycling or organics separation is commonly required in California, so bring sorted loads if possible and leave room in the truck for any materials that might need to be set aside.