Two county sites, one name people mix up
Santa Cruz County Recycling and Solid Waste runs Buena Vista Landfill at 1231 Buena Vista Drive, Watsonville, about a mile south of Highway 1, and Ben Lomond Transfer Station at 9835 Newell Creek Road in Ben Lomond. Searches for Buena Vista Landfill should land on the Watsonville site. The county lists (831) 454-2430 and (831) 454-5153 for Buena Vista questions. Ben Lomond has its own posted construction notices. Do not follow a Ben Lomond detour if your load was accepted only at the landfill.
The weekly hours
The county rate-schedule page lists Buena Vista as open 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Christmas Eve is listed as 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The same page says the landfill is closed Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, and that those exceptions can change. Wednesday's earlier close is the detail people miss. A 3:00 p.m. arrival on Wednesday is late. Hot ashes, recyclables mixed into refuse, and e-waste are called out as prohibited. The county also says it is against the law to mix recyclables with refuse.
Rates and self-haul rules change on a schedule
Santa Cruz County publishes a recycling and solid waste rate schedule and tells people to check the fee schedule or call before they rely on a number, because some discounted recycling rates apply only when the market supports them. Self-haulers who skip curbside service have a separate registration path under the county's universal-service rules, with disposal fees still due at the site. Because those figures are revised on a fiscal-year schedule, this guide does not freeze a dollar amount. Read the current schedule on the county site, or call (831) 454-5153, the morning you go. A number from last summer is how arguments start at the scale house.
Before you go
- Choose Buena Vista for the landfill and Ben Lomond only if that station is the one that takes your material.
- Remember Wednesday closes at 2:30 p.m., not 3:30.
- Keep recyclables and e-waste out of the trash load.
- Read the current county rate schedule instead of quoting an old total.
Driving to Ben Lomond because a search result said Santa Cruz County, or arriving after the Wednesday early close.
Questions people ask
Is Buena Vista Landfill open every weekday until 3:30?
No. The county lists Wednesday as 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The other open weekdays and Saturday run to 3:30 p.m. It is closed Sunday and on the holidays named on the county page.
Can I throw TVs in with the trash?
The county says disposal of e-waste is prohibited in the refuse. Use the recycling route the site posts rather than hiding electronics in bags.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.