The County's Free Drop-Off Moved to Standard Park This Year: A Garage Clear-Out Plan for Apple Valley

Where does a worn-out mattress go when you live off Phoenix Lake Road, along with the bald tires against the shop wall and the half shelf of old motor oil? On Sunday, November 15, it goes for free. It is also split across two addresses, and only one of them takes walk-ups.

Tuolumne County Public Works' Solid Waste Division is holding its America Recycles Day collection on Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Last year the event was a single drive-thru at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. This year nonhazardous items go to Standard Park on Tuolumne Road, and household hazardous waste goes to a different site, by appointment only. For Apple Valley the new drop-off is on your side of town. The catch is that one truckload has to become two before you pull out of the driveway.

What changed between 2025 and 2026

In November 2025, myMotherLode described the event as a one-stop drive-thru at the fairgrounds off Stockton Road and Highway 49, held Saturday, November 15. Public Works said residents could bring mattresses, tires, e-waste, cardboard, textiles, household hazardous waste, used oil and antifreeze all to the same place. The Union Democrat reported that the hazardous lane and the nonhazardous lane ran side by side inside the same drive-thru.

The county's 2026 announcement splits those lanes into two separate events.

Both events run at the same time, so a household with both kinds of material needs a Camage Avenue appointment that leaves enough room in the four-hour window to get to Standard Park too. The event is free and open to Tuolumne County residents with proof of residency. Businesses are excluded.

Sorting the garage into two piles

The county's list of accepted materials covers mattresses and box springs, tires, household hazardous waste, unbroken light bulbs, batteries, mercury devices, scrap metal, cardboard, mixed paper, used oil and filters, and electronic waste. Standard Park will also have secure containers for off-site document shredding, and the Salvation Army will be there taking new or gently used clothing and household goods.

The release itself doesn't say which items go to which address. It points readers to the America Recycles Day flyer for the full list at each site. Last year's lane setup is a useful starting point for sorting while you wait on the flyer. In 2025 the Union Democrat reported this split:

Hazardous lane last year:

• Antifreeze
• Mercury thermostats
• Household, rechargeable and automotive batteries
• Unbroken fluorescent, LED, compact fluorescent and incandescent bulbs
• Used oil and oil filters

Nonhazardous lane last year:

• Mattresses and box springs
• Cardboard, copy paper, magazines, junk mail and newspapers
• Scrap metal, excluding anything containing freon
• Televisions, computer equipment and other electronic devices
• Textiles, bedding, clothing and purses
• Up to nine car or passenger truck tires, without wheels or rims

In 2025 the county also turned away ammunition, asbestos, medicines, sharps, explosives, fireworks, marine flares, Styrofoam, plastics, yard waste, vape pens, crib mattresses, medical waste, household garbage and tires over 40 inches. These were last year's rules. The 2026 flyer and the Solid Waste Division at (209) 533-5588 have the final word on this year's limits and on what counts as proof of residency.

For an Apple Valley property, two items on that excluded list matter most. Yard waste was not accepted last year, so the pine needles and oak leaves piling up this month don't belong in the truck. Neither does the old shop fridge, because scrap metal containing freon was excluded too. The Salvation Army table had its own standard in 2025: donations could not be broken, torn, stained or in need of repair.

A Sunday plan from Phoenix Lake Road

The sorting decides the route.

1. This week, call (209) 533-5588 if anything is headed for the hazardous pile. Camage Avenue is appointment-only on November 15, and the same number handles questions about the Standard Park list.
2. Load the hazardous items separately, in a bin or a different part of the bed, so the stop at Cal Sierra on Camage Avenue is quick.
3. Put proof of residency in the cab. It is a stated condition for both events.
4. Finish at Standard Park, 18500 Tuolumne Road, before 2 p.m. with the mattress, tires, electronics, metal, paper, boxes for the shredding containers, and anything for the Salvation Army. No appointment needed.

Standard Park will be familiar to anyone who walked the Field of Honor there over Veterans Day week. On November 15 it serves as a drop-off lane.

If November 15 doesn't work

This is not the only free window before the end of the year, and for the bulkiest items the backup dates may be simpler. The county's Don't Trash Tuolumne events page lists three more dates.

Wednesday, November 18 and Wednesday, December 16

Household hazardous waste collection runs on the third Wednesday of every month, by appointment only, through Solid Waste at (209) 533-5588. Those two dates are the third Wednesdays of November and December 2026. The county also says mattress, e-waste and tire recycling is available during these monthly events with no appointment needed. So a household that misses the Sunday event has a weekday option for the same bulky items three days later.

Saturday, December 5

Greater Valley Conservation Corps will take mattresses, tires and e-waste at the Jamestown Household Hazardous Waste Facility. GVCC is a certified local conservation corps run by the San Joaquin County Office of Education, offering education, training and jobs in recycling and natural resources. A June 2026 county notice gives the facility's address as 17855 High School Road in Jamestown. The December listing has no hours and doesn't say whether appointments apply, so call (209) 533-5588 before you load up.

Here is the whole calendar in one place:

• Sun., Nov. 15: Standard Park for nonhazardous items, no appointment. Camage Avenue for hazardous waste, appointment only.
• Wed., Nov. 18: Monthly hazardous waste collection by appointment. Mattresses, e-waste and tires without one.
• Sat., Dec. 5: GVCC mattress, tire and e-waste collection in Jamestown. Call for hours.
• Wed., Dec. 16: Monthly hazardous waste collection, same format as November 18.

The Sunday at Standard Park remains the widest single window, with paper, cardboard, scrap metal, shredding and Salvation Army donations all at one east-side stop. The other three dates cover mostly the heavy items: mattresses, tires and electronics. A household that sorts this week and books a Camage Avenue slot can clear most of a garage between the two sites on November 15. Anything left over can go November 18 or December 5, before the holiday weekends arrive.

A clear garage is also often the first step before listing a home. If yours is getting emptied with spring in mind, Tuolumne Homes can tell you what your Apple Valley home is worth now that the clutter is gone. Start with a free home valuation and we'll go over the numbers with you, the local way.