Dark Gray or Black (labeled Landfill) Bin (Trash)
Place containers curbside by 6:00 AM on your scheduled collection day. All garbage should be securely bagged, and the cart lid must be completely closed to prevent wind-scattered litter and pest attraction.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags and wrap
- ✓Styrofoam plates, cups, and protective packaging blocks
- ✓Disposable diapers, wipes, and securely bagged pet waste
- ✓Mylar snack wrappers, chip bags, and candy packaging
- ✓Broken window glass and home ceramics
- ✓Palm fronds, cactus, yucca, and bamboo
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Keep recyclables loose, dry, and free of food or liquid residue. Do not bag items loosely; only bundled film plastics tied inside a single clear bag are allowed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, dry paper, junk mail, and catalogs
- ✓Flattened cardboard and paperboard packaging
- ✓Empty aluminum, tin, and steel cans
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars
- ✓Rigid plastics marked with numbers 1 through 7
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic bags, bubble wrap, or film wrap (unless bundled and tied in a clear bag)
- ✕Styrofoam materials of any kind
- ✕Garden hoses, extension cords, and string lights
- ✕Heavily soiled cardboard or greasy pizza boxes
- ✕Electronic waste and alkaline batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Do not use plastic bags of any kind to hold your organic material; paper bags, compostable bags, or newspaper lining are permitted. Keep dirt, rocks, concrete, sod, pet feces, and palm fronds out of this cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Kitchen food scraps (raw/cooked meats, bones, cheese, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Food-soiled paper towels, napkins, and greasy pizza boxes
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and plant trimmings
- ✓Small branches and prunings (under 3 feet long and 6 inches wide)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
3 free scheduled collections per calendar year
Placement
Place your scheduled bulk items at your curb before 6:00 AM on your assigned service morning. Do not block vehicle access, walkways, or standard street drainage.
Accepted
- ✓ Sofas, mattresses, box springs, and household furniture
- ✓ Major home appliances (fridges, stoves, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Electronic waste (one e-waste item like a TV or computer per pickup)
- ✓ Bundled clean wood and extra yard trimmings
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, chemicals, fuel tanks)
- ✕ Construction materials, concrete, bricks, dirt, and heavy rocks
- ✕ Auto and brake fluids, car engines, and vehicle batteries
Pickups exceeding the three allocated annual slots, or piles that exceed 3 cubic yards / 150 lbs per item, can be scheduled through West Valley Recycles for an extra fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Curbside collections run on schedule for all holidays throughout the year except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. If either holiday falls on a weekday, collections for the holiday and the remaining weekdays of that week shift later by exactly one day.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling follow the same holiday delay timeline as landfill collections.
If Christmas Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no delay to your regular weekday service schedule.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Tape Rechargeable Terminals to Prevent Fire
Before placing rechargeable lithium or nickel-cadmium batteries into your fluorescent curbside battery bag, always apply clear tape over the contact terminals. This stops them from sparking and igniting truck fires when compressed.
Keep Palms and Cactus Out of Organics
Do not put palm fronds, cactus, bamboo, or yucca into your green organics cart. Their heavy fibrous structure resists commercial composting and can cause jams in local sorting machinery; place them in your trash bin.
Keep Plastic Out of the Green Bin
Avoid using standard plastic bags to collect kitchen food scraps. If you use a liner for your kitchen pail, use plain paper towels, a paper bag, or a certified BPI compostable bag to keep the organic compost stream clean.
Seasonal Information
Foothill Autumn Leaf and Garden Trimming Care
October - DecemberTo assist with heavy fall yard trimmings, Los Gatos residents can place extra yard waste beside their organics cart up to six times per year at no additional charge. Extra trimmings must be placed in paper bags or bundles no larger than 3 feet in length and 32 gallons in capacity.
Post-Holiday Christmas Tree Composting
December - JanuaryNatural holiday trees are collected curbside during the first few weeks of January. Remove all tinsel, stands, nails, and lights. Cut trees over 6 feet tall in half and place them beside your green organics bin. Flocked trees are accepted.
About Los Gatos Waste Management
Eco-Forward Waste Management in the Santa Cruz Foothills
In the historic town of Los Gatos, environmental stewardship is built directly into daily life. Curbside services are managed through a franchise partnership with West Valley Collection & Recycling, serving as the exclusive hauler for the communities of the West Valley Solid Waste Management Joint Powers Agency (JPA). Tailored to preserve local foothills and protect the Guadalupe and Coyote Creek watersheds, this framework combines modern diversion methods with easy ways to handle hard-to-recycle items.
SB 1383 Organic Redirection and Countertop Pails
To strictly adhere to California Senate Bill 1383 climate mandates, Los Gatos residents use their green organics cart to keep methane-producing kitchen and garden waste completely away from regional landfills. West Valley Collection & Recycling provides complimentary internal kitchen compost pails to make organizing scraps simple. Emptying these countertop pails directly into your green organics cart transforms daily food scraps into clean commercial compost.
Unique Curbside Cooking Oil and Battery Recycling
A standout feature of the Los Gatos curbside program is its focus on keeping toxic materials out of domestic waste streams. Single-family households can recycle spent household batteries and liquid kitchen cooking oil right at the curb. Used cooking oil is collected weekly when set out next to your recycling cart in an official West Valley Recycles container. Meanwhile, household batteries can be sealed in a provided fluorescent bag and placed directly on top of your landfill cart lid.
Annual On-Call Bulky Item Cleanups
Rather than standard mass-neighborhood bulk cleanup days that lead to illegal dumping and messy streets, Los Gatos provides single-family residential accounts with up to three free on-call bulky item cleanups every calendar year. This scheduled service allows residents to discard up to three cubic yards of extra bagged or boxed trash, alongside up to three large appliances or furniture items, keeping the community pristine.
Drop-off Facilities
West Valley Recycles Public Drop-off Site
575 Charles Street, San Jose, CA 95112
Materials Accepted
Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste Program Facility
Varying drop-off locations (Appointments required)
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I recycle used motor oil in Los Gatos?
West Valley Recycles has replaced curbside motor oil pickup with used cooking oil collection. You can safely dispose of used automotive motor oil and oil filters for free at the West Valley drop-off site located at 575 Charles St., San Jose, open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
How do I get an organics kitchen pail or a battery bag?
Single-family residents can request a free small countertop organics pail and fluorescent household battery bags directly from West Valley Collection & Recycling. Contact customer service at 408-283-9250 to arrange delivery.
What should I do if my collection cart was missed?
First, make sure your bins were at the curb by 6:00 AM. If your cart was missed, leave it out and contact West Valley Collection & Recycling at 408-283-9250 to schedule a replacement collection.
Does Los Gatos provide backyard compost bins?
Yes! Residents interested in backyard composting can reach out to Santa Clara County's Home Composting Education Program or visit hhw.org to sign up for local composting workshops and find resources on building or buying home compost systems.