Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for East Palo Alto
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on the same day as trash)
Yard Waste
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on the same day as trash)
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Standard residential waste and recycling collection costs in East Palo Alto are billed through the annual San Mateo County property tax assessment, while any optional or supplemental services are billed directly by Recology San Mateo County.
Billing Cycle
Included in Property Taxes
Accepted Methods
Property Tax Assessment, Online, Phone, Mail (for supplemental Recology services)
Black or Gray Bin (Trash)
Lids must be completely closed to prevent local wind-blown litter and deter pests. Carts must be curbside by 6:00 AM on collection days with front facing the street.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags, wraps, and stretch films
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam packaging blocks or cups
- ✓Disposable baby diapers and sanitary wipes
- ✓Mylar snack wrappers, chip bags, and candy packaging
- ✓Broken window glass, mirrors, and home ceramics
- ✓Bagged pet waste and kitty litter
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables; place all items completely loose, empty, rinsed, and dry inside the blue container.
Accepted Items
- ✓Flattened cardboard and clean paperboard packaging
- ✓Clean office paper, junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars (rinsed and dry)
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans and clean foil baking trays
- ✓Steel, tin, and bi-metal food or soup cans
- ✓Rigid plastics marked with numbers #1 through #7
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags or film wraps
- ✕Styrofoam blocks or food trays
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, or wire hangers (tanglers)
- ✕Food scrap leftovers, liquid residue, or grease-stained paper
- ✕Electronic waste or household batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Keep organic materials loose or inside certified BPI compostable bags. Keep dirt, rocks, concrete, animal feces, treated lumber, and palm fronds out of this cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Kitchen food scraps (raw/cooked meat, bones, dairy, fruit, vegetables)
- ✓Food-soiled paper plates, paper towels, napkins, and greasy pizza boxes
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, garden weeds, and flowers
- ✓Brush prunings and small branches under 4 feet long
- ✓Plain paper bags or BPI-certified compostable plastic bags
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 free curbside collections per calendar year
Placement
Place your scheduled bulk items at your roadside property edge on your pre-arranged collection morning by 6:00 AM, keeping them clear of parked vehicles, mailboxes, and low-hanging tree branches.
Accepted
- ✓ 12 garbage bags of loose garbage, recyclables, or compost (equivalent to 2 cubic yards, under 60 lbs)
- ✓ Oversized furniture (mattresses, box springs, sofas, tables, 4 tires without rims)
- ✓ Major home appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves)
- ✓ One electronic waste item (televisions, computer monitors, microwaves)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, automotive chemicals, gasoline)
- ✕ Dirt, sand, rocks, sod, gravel, concrete, and asphalt
- ✕ Construction and home demolition debris (treated lumber, wood, drywall)
- ✕ Any individual item exceeding 200 lbs or 5 feet in length
The two annual curbside bulk pickups are completely free. Tenants in multi-family buildings must contact their property managers to coordinate bulk waste collection.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Recology San Mateo County operates normal collection schedules on almost all federal holidays throughout the year. The only exceptions are Christmas Day and New Year's Day. If your scheduled collection day falls on or after one of these two holidays, your curbside pickup is delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Organic waste and recycling collections follow the same holiday delay schedule as standard garbage pickup.
If Christmas Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no change or delay to regular weekday collection schedules.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Fall and Runoff Protection
October - DecemberHeavy autumn leaf drops should be placed directly inside your green organics cart. Residents are strictly prohibited from sweeping or blowing leaves into street gutters, as loose foliage blocks storm sewer drains and municipal sweepers, causing street flooding.
Holiday Tree Recycling
JanuaryNatural, undecorated Christmas trees are collected curbside between January 5th and January 16th on your regular collection day. Remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, and stands, and place the tree next to your green compost cart. Trees collected after this timeframe must be cut up and placed inside your green bin.
Local Tips & Community Info
East Palo Alto's Path to Sustainable Waste Management
The City of East Palo Alto is deeply invested in reducing local landfill dependency and advancing community-wide sustainability. To achieve these environmental milestones, the city collaborates with RethinkWaste and contracts Recology San Mateo County as the primary service provider for all residential garbage routing. This structured partnership ensures that every neighborhood receives dependable weekly curbside removal, empowering locals to easily separate their daily refuse and actively participate in California's ecological conservation efforts.
Container Sorting Rules for Households
Properly dividing your refuse is a mandatory requirement that directly impacts the local environment. Residents are issued three distinct bins. The compost container (Green) is strictly for organic materials; this includes all yard debris, soiled cardboard like pizza boxes, and every type of kitchen food waste. The recycling bin (Blue) captures clean paper, glass bottles, aluminum packaging, and hard plastics, which must be deposited loosely without plastic bags. The trash receptacle (Black) is the final destination for non-recoverable items such as heavily treated wood, styrofoam, and animal waste.
Curbside Staging and Collection Windows
Recology dispatchers begin their East Palo Alto routes early in the morning, making it essential to have your receptacles positioned at the curb no later than 6:00 a.m. on your assigned pickup day. When staging your carts, place them side-by-side in the street gutter with the lid hinges pointing toward your residence. To ensure the automated lifting mechanisms function correctly, maintain a two-foot gap between each bin. Always check that your carts are not obstructing street sweepers, bicycle lanes, or storm drains.
Scheduling Large Item Pickups
You do not have to worry about hauling heavy furniture or broken appliances to a distant dump facility. Single-family homes in East Palo Alto are granted two complimentary Bulky Item Collections (BIC) per year through Recology. This convenient service covers large goods like mattresses, couches, and even bundled electronic waste. Because specialized trucks are required, residents must contact Recology customer service directly to book a specific date. Please note that dangerous liquids, construction debris, and automobile tires are excluded from this program.
Holiday Delays and Seasonal Modifications
While waste collection operates consistently throughout the year, three major holidays disrupt the standard schedule: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. If your regular trash day coincides with or follows one of these specific holidays during the business week, your pickup will be delayed by 24 hours, meaning Friday routes will be completed on Saturday. During the winter holidays, Recology also implements a special curbside collection period for bare, natural Christmas trees.
Drop-off Facilities
Shoreway Environmental Center (Transfer Station & Public Recycling)
333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
Materials Accepted
San Mateo County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility
Varying drop-off locations (Free; appointments required)
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Which company handles the trash pickup in East Palo Alto?
Recology San Mateo County is the designated franchise waste hauler for the city, operating in conjunction with the local RethinkWaste public agency.
Can I throw away pizza boxes in the recycling bin?
No. Because pizza boxes are contaminated with grease and food residue, they cannot be recycled. They must be placed in your green compost cart along with your other food scraps.
How do I dispose of a broken refrigerator or mattress?
Residents can utilize their two free annual Bulky Item Collections. You simply need to call Recology ahead of time to schedule a pickup date for your large appliances or furniture.