Empty reel pickup in Orange County

We collect empty cable reels across Orange County from Buena Park and Fullerton in the north to Irvine and Huntington Beach in the south. Two lanes cover it: the 5 and 405 through the middle and south, and the 91 and 57 across the north. Ten area pages list the cities.

What empties reels in Orange County

Orange County is less industrial than Los Angeles County at first glance, but it holds a great deal of manufacturing and distribution behind its freeways. In the north, Anaheim Canyon's business district covers 2,645 acres along the 91, and Fullerton, Buena Park and the City of Orange have older industrial land along the railroads. In the middle, south Santa Ana and the airport area around John Wayne Airport are packed with manufacturers, distributors and contractors.

Further south, Irvine's planned business parks hold technology, medical-device and automotive firms, Tustin is rebuilding its old air station, and Huntington Beach has Boeing's 187-acre site and an oil-field history. Hospitals, campuses, resorts and venues across the county are always being built, renovated or rewired.

The reels that come out of Orange County tend to be smaller and cleaner than LA's: plywood and nailed spools of 24 to 48 inches from manufacturers and building projects. Those are the sizes that resell best, so a good share of what we collect here goes back out to buyers.

The industrial districts we know best

Anaheim Canyon, Anaheim: 2,645 acres along the 91 east of the 57: electronics, medical-device makers and distributors.
South Santa Ana, Santa Ana: Manufacturers and distributors between the 55 and the river, south to the airport.
Irvine Spectrum, Irvine: Technology and medical-device campuses where the 5, the 405 and the 133 meet.
Gothard Street, Huntington Beach: Machine shops, fabricators and the aerospace site on the north side of Huntington Beach.

Every Orange County area we run to

Area	Grid	ZIP codes	Lane	Usual flanges	Request
Anaheim	F7	92801, 92802, 92804, 92805, 92806, 92807, 92808	North Orange County, 91 and 57	24, 36, 48, 72 in	Request
Santa Ana	F8	92701, 92703, 92704, 92705, 92706, 92707	Orange County on the 5	24, 30, 36, 48 in	Request
Irvine	G8	92602, 92604, 92606, 92612, 92614, 92618, 92620	Orange County on the 5	24, 30, 36, 48 in	Request
Huntington Beach	F9	92646, 92647, 92648, 92649	Orange County on the 5	24, 36, 48, 60 in	Request
Garden Grove	F8	92840, 92841, 92843, 92844, 92845	Orange County on the 5	24, 30, 36, 42 in	Request
Fullerton	F7	92831, 92832, 92833, 92835	North Orange County, 91 and 57	24, 30, 36, 48 in	Request
Orange	G8	92865, 92866, 92867, 92868, 92869	North Orange County, 91 and 57	24, 36, 48, 60 in	Request
Costa Mesa	F9	92626, 92627	Orange County on the 5	24, 30, 36, 48 in	Request
Tustin	G8	92780, 92782	Orange County on the 5	24, 36, 48, 72 in	Request
Buena Park	F7	90620, 90621	North Orange County, 91 and 57	30, 36, 48, 60 in	Request

The lanes that cover Orange County

Lane 6Orange County on the 5Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach
Lane 7North Orange County, 91 and 57Buena Park, Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange

The 5 and 405 lane comes in from Santa Fe Springs and works Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. The 91 and 57 lane starts in Buena Park and works Fullerton, Anaheim and Orange. The two meet around Orange and Santa Ana, so stops there can ride either.

Who does the cable work in Orange County

Southern California Edison serves most of Orange County, and its distribution and cable replacement work produces the larger utility reels. Anaheim is the exception in our area: Anaheim Public Utilities owns and maintains the city's electric system and has been moving overhead lines underground for years. The far south of the county is served by San Diego Gas and Electric, beyond the cities on our map.

Those owners are where the cable work happens, not our customers; the contractors working for them call us. See where the region's empty reels come from.

Reel sizes across Orange County

Flange	Common in	Empties per 53 ft deck (est.)
24 in	Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin	416
30 in	Santa Ana, Irvine, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Buena Park	189
36 in	Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Buena Park	102
42 in	Garden Grove	60
48 in	Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Buena Park	26 to 30
60 in	Huntington Beach, Orange, Buena Park	24 to 28
72 in	Anaheim, Tustin	20 to 24

Buying spools in Orange County

Orange County buyers lean towards clean, smaller spools: event and wedding planners looking for matched sets, restaurants and shops building tables and displays, and homeowners who want one good reel for a patio. Nurseries and landscapers buy larger reels for benches. Because Orange County sellers produce exactly those smaller sizes, a lot of what we collect on the 5 and 405 lane goes straight back out on the same lane.

Buy wooden spools · Spools for tables · Large wooden spools

Orange County pickup questions

Do you go to south Orange County?

Our pages stop at Irvine and the 5 corridor. Mission Viejo, Laguna and San Clemente are further; ask with the address and counts.

Which lane is busier in Orange County?

The 5 and 405 lane, because it passes the Santa Ana and airport-area districts.

Are Orange County reels worth more?

Not by county, but the smaller, cleaner reels common here are the ones that resell most often.

Does Anaheim use Edison?

No. Anaheim has its own utility, Anaheim Public Utilities.

Can I buy a matched set of spools for an event in Orange County?

Yes, given notice. Tell us the flange size, the count and the date, and we will set them aside from what comes off the runs.

Do you pick up from homes in Orange County?

If you have a few reels and the truck can reach them, yes, as a ride-along. Most of our stops are businesses.