Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Los Altos
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on trash day)
Yard Waste
Varies by neighborhood zone (collected weekly on trash day)
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste services are managed by franchised hauler Mission Trail Waste Systems and billed quarterly in advance.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Mail, Phone, In-Person
Gray Bin (Trash)
Carts must be curbside prior to 6:00 AM on your regular service day. Ensure that all general landfill trash is bagged and cart lids are completely closed to deter local pests.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags, wrappers, and film wrap
- ✓Styrofoam cups, plates, and non-recyclable foam blocks
- ✓Disposable diapers, sanitary wipes, and personal hygiene items
- ✓Bagged pet waste and kitty litter
- ✓Broken household glassware, mirrors, and ceramics
- ✓Soiled textiles and worn clothing that cannot be donated
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag your recyclables; all plastic, glass, and metal items must be clean, dry, and placed loosely inside the blue container.
Accepted Items
- ✓Flattened cardboard boxes and paperboard packaging
- ✓Clean, dry office paper, junk mail, newspapers, and catalogs
- ✓Aluminum beverage cans, baking pans, and clean aluminum foil
- ✓Steel, tin, and bi-metal food cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (emptied and rinsed)
- ✓Rigid plastics labeled with recycling symbols #1 through #7
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags, stretch wrap, or bubble wrap
- ✕Styrofoam and packaging peanuts
- ✕Garden hoses, wires, cords, or clothing hangers
- ✕Food scrap leftovers, liquids, or heavily grease-stained pizza boxes
- ✕Electronic waste or alkaline batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Keep organic materials loose in your green cart. Absolutely no plastic bags, soil, rock, concrete, treated wood, or pet feces are allowed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Raw or cooked kitchen leftovers (meats, bones, dairy, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Food-soiled paper products, napkins, paper plates, and pizza boxes
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and garden flowers
- ✓Small branches and prunings (under 6 inches in diameter)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 free On-Call Cleanups per calendar year
Placement
Fill the delivered bags at your curbside by 6:00 AM on your scheduled cleanup day. Keep bulky items clear of parked cars, low utility lines, and fire hydrants.
Accepted
- ✓ Up to 4 cubic yards of extra loose household waste contained in delivered bags
- ✓ Up to three large bulky items (mattresses, couches, major appliances)
- ✓ One electronic waste item (VCR, TV, or computer monitor) in place of one bulky item
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid chemicals, solvents, pesticides)
- ✕ Automotive components, vehicle tires, and lead-acid batteries
- ✕ Treated wood products or construction and demolition debris
The two annual pickups are free. Rescheduling or requesting extra collection visits beyond these limits will incur standard service fees.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Mission Trail observes Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. If one of these holidays falls on a weekday, curbside service for that day and the remainder of the week will be delayed by exactly one day.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling follow the exact same holiday delay timeline as standard garbage collection.
Regular curbside collections will run as scheduled on all other federal and state holidays, such as Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Fall and Runoff Guarding
October - DecemberDuring heavy fall leaf drop, place loose leaves directly in your green organics cart. Do not sweep or blow leaves into street gutters, as they block public storm drains, disrupt street sweepers, and cause immediate pooling during winter rainstorms.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Recycling
December - JanuaryUnflocked and undecorated natural Christmas trees are collected curbside for composting at no extra charge. Cut trees into sections no longer than 5 feet and place them directly next to your green organics cart on your service day.
Local Tips & Community Info
Mission Trail Waste Systems: Your Curbside Partner
In Los Altos, daily refuse and recycling logistics are managed exclusively by Mission Trail Waste Systems (MTWS). Every residential property is equipped with a comprehensive set of color-coded carts to handle daily refuse. On your designated collection day, it is imperative to have all containers wheeled out to the street no later than 6:00 a.m. Position them neatly against the curb, leaving ample space between the bins so the automated collection trucks can operate safely without snagging parked vehicles or neighboring mailboxes.
Sorting Your Waste: The Tri-Cart Approach
To align with California's ambitious Senate Bill 1383 targets, Los Altos strictly mandates the separation of organic material from landfill garbage. Your green cart is the destination for all compostable materials, which includes grass clippings, fallen leaves, and crucially, all kitchen food scraps and food-soiled paper. Clean, dry recyclables such as cardboard, glass jars, and plastic bottles must be deposited loosely into the recycling container. Only items that cannot be recycled or composted should find their way into the standard garbage bin.
Disposing of Bulky Furniture and E-Waste
Upgrading your home or clearing out the garage often generates debris too large for a standard curbside receptacle. Fortunately, MTWS provides Los Altos homeowners with convenient bulky item cleanup services. Rather than hauling an old mattress or broken refrigerator to a regional dump, you can arrange a specialized pickup directly from your curb. Furthermore, electronic waste like old computer monitors and televisions must be handled separately from standard trash, and residents can schedule an e-waste collection to ensure these items are dismantled responsibly.
Keeping Hazardous Materials Out of the Landfill
It is strictly illegal to dispose of dangerous household chemicals in any of your regular carts. Items such as depleted batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, wet paint, and mercury thermostats pose severe environmental and fire hazards if crushed inside a collection truck. MTWS and Santa Clara County offer specific hazardous waste drop-off programs to help you safely discard these volatile materials. For minor items like standard dry-cell batteries, check with MTWS regarding their specific curbside battery containment protocols.
How Holidays Impact Your Collection Route
The rhythm of your weekly pickup will occasionally shift during major national holidays. When MTWS observes a holiday like Christmas, New Year's Day, or Thanksgiving on a weekday, all subsequent collections for that week are systematically bumped back by one day. For instance, if the holiday lands on a Wednesday, Wednesday customers will be serviced on Thursday, and the delay cascades through Saturday. The schedule automatically resets to normal the following Monday.
Drop-off Facilities
Santa Clara County HHW Collection Facility
Varying Regional Event Locations (San Jose Permanent Site), CA
Materials Accepted
Los Altos Pharmacy (Free Sharps Recycling)
255 2nd Street, Los Altos, CA 94022
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I call if my garbage cart was missed this morning?
You should contact the Mission Trail Waste Systems customer service desk directly at 650-473-1400 to report the missed pickup and arrange for a driver to return to your address.
Can I bag my recyclables before throwing them in the bin?
No. All recyclable materials should be placed loosely inside the container. Plastic bags interfere with the sorting machinery at the recycling facility and can cause entire batches to be rejected.
Where can I get new compost bins if mine is damaged?
If your cart is cracked or missing a wheel, simply call MTWS. They handle all cart maintenance and will dispatch a technician to repair or replace your damaged receptacle.