Black or Dark Gray Bin (Trash)
All waste components must fit completely within the landfill cart with the lid flat. Bags or overflowing waste placed next to the bin will not be collected by automated equipment.
Accepted Items
- ✓Soiled plastic bags, bubble wrap, and plastic films
- ✓Diapers, personal hygiene items, and bagged pet waste
- ✓Broken mirrors, windows, and household ceramics
- ✓Soiled takeout boxes and heavily waxed papers
- ✓Worn-out rags, old shoes, and composite home garbage
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Recyclables must be dropped loosely into the blue cart without any bag encapsulation. Bagged items are rejected at the facility sorting belt.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paperboard shipping boxes
- ✓Aluminum soda cans, tin food cans, and clean steel trays
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (all colors, rinsed empty)
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs labeled #1-#7
- ✓Magazines, mixed office paper, mail inserts, and catalogs
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags or grocery sacks
- ✕Polystyrene (Styrofoam) packaging blocks or cups
- ✕Loose shredded paper fragments
- ✕Electronic waste parts or household batteries
- ✕Food-contaminated pizza boxes or greasy papers
Yard Waste Bin
Yard waste and food waste must be consolidated loosely inside the green container. Do not use traditional plastic bags; only paper bags or certified BPI-compostable liners are permitted.
Accepted Items
- ✓Lawn clippings, fresh thatch, and garden weeds
- ✓Dry autumn leaves, small twigs, and prunings
- ✓Tree limbs under 4 inches in diameter and under 4 feet long
- ✓Household food scraps, fruit peelings, and vegetable cores
- ✓Meat scraps, bones, dairy items, and bread crusts
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 bulk pickups and 4 extra recycling cleanups per year
Placement
Items must be positioned neatly at the street curb edge by 5:30 AM on your confirmed appointment date. Ensure items do not block public thoroughfares, gutters, or access to your standard carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Major household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Large home furniture (couches, tables, mattresses)
- ✓ Consumer electronics and television sets
- ✓ Passenger car tires (without metal rims)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous materials (paints, vehicle fluids, solvents)
- ✕ Loose unbundled building material, bricks, or concrete blocks
- ✕ Heavy logs or large intact tree trunks
- ✕ General loose trash bags that exceed established volume limits
Once your complimentary yearly allocations are exhausted, extra bulk pickups can be arranged through Republic Services for an additional fee based on material volume.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Republic Services only alters residential collection schedules for two major holidays: New Year's Day and Christmas Day. If your regular pickup day falls directly on or after these dates during a holiday week, service shifts back exactly one day. Regular Friday collection shifts to Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Green organic waste collections mirror the identical one-day delay structure implemented for regular trash during holiday operational shifts.
Standard service schedules remain entirely unaffected during minor holiday weeks such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Plastic Bag Wraps Out of Blue Carts
Plastic shopping sacks and stretch wrap cause severe mechanical tangling on sorting screens at the recovery plant. Keep recyclables completely loose, and place all flimsy films into your standard black trash bin.
Route Shredded Paper Away from Recycling Bins
Loose shredded paper fragments turn into unrecoverable litter inside sorting plants and contaminate other dry recyclables. Dispose of shredded paper inside the black landfill cart or your home organic pile.
Exclude Fibrous Landscaping Items from Organics
Do not place heavy tree stumps, palm fronds, dirt, or rocks inside your green organic bin. Palm fronds do not break down in standard regional composting systems and damage shredding machinery.
Seasonal Information
Annual Citywide Spring Cleanup
JuneRepublic Services executes an annual Martinez Citywide Cleanup during early June. Residents can place up to 3 cubic yards of extra trash and green waste curbside on their regular service day. Materials must be strictly segregated by type.
Post-Holiday Tree Recycling
December to JanuaryFlocked and natural Christmas trees are collected curbside following the holidays. Residents must strip away all tinsel, metallic stands, lights, and ornaments. Large trees exceeding 6 feet must be sawn completely in half.
Summer Heat Odor Suppression
June to SeptemberHigh summer temperatures accelerate food decomposition in organic bins. To manage pests and odors, keep your green cart in the shade, ensure the lid is tight, and layer food scraps beneath a heavy dry layer of lawn trimmings.
About Martinez Waste Management
Sustainable Resource Management in historic Martinez
The City of Martinez delegates its residential solid waste, structured recycling, and organics recovery operations to Republic Services under a comprehensive municipal franchise framework. Emphasizing community-wide diversion targets, curbside collection for single-family homes occurs in unified single-day routing loops where landfill, recycling, and organic carts are emptied together. The city actively incentivizes waste reduction by offering downsized landfill container pricing, allowing residents who recycle properly to reduce their overall monthly utility footprint.
Standard Curbside Cart Placement & Timing Restrictions
To accommodate automated loading arms, Martinez residents must follow specific set-out protocols. All roll-out carts must be positioned at the street curb line by 5:00 AM on the designated pickup day (or the night before). Containers should be spaced at least three feet apart from one another and four feet away from vertical obstacles, such as parked vehicles, residential mailboxes, or street trees. Ensure cart lids remain entirely closed to maintain neighborhood tidiness and deter wildlife.
Mandatory Composting & Organics Sorting Mandates
In strict compliance with California State Law SB 1383, proper source separation of all organic materials is legally required for all residential households in Martinez. The green collection container processes yard waste alongside residential food scraps, including plate scraps, meat bones, dairy, and coffee grounds. Diverting these materials from landfill lines actively mitigates short-lived climate pollutants and generates rich compost for regional agricultural use.
Exclusive Martinez Resident Landfill Drop-off Vouchers
To handle large domestic cleanups that exceed standard collection volumes, the franchise agreement provides unique self-haul support for local residential account holders. Residents can obtain one specialized landfill voucher per calendar year from the local service office. This voucher grants free disposal of up to one cubic yard of standard household waste at the nearby Contra Costa Transfer and Recovery Station located right in Martinez.
Drop-off Facilities
Contra Costa Transfer and Recovery Station
951 Water Rd, Martinez, CA 94553
Materials Accepted
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District HHW Facility
4797 Imhoff Pl, Martinez, CA 94553
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I secure a senior rate discount on my garbage bill in Martinez?
The City of Martinez provides an established garbage rate discount for senior residents who are 62 years of age or older. Eligible residents can coordinate directly with the Republic Services customer service line at 925-685-4711 to apply the discount to their primary residential utility account.
Where can I safely dispose of old oil, wet paint, and fluorescent light tubes?
These hazardous materials are strictly banned from all curbside rolling carts. Fortunately, Martinez residents have free access to the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District HHW Facility located at 4797 Imhoff Place, which accepts chemical waste Monday through Saturday.
How do I claim my free annual landfill drop-off voucher?
Martinez residential account holders can drop by the Republic Services business office located at 441 North Buchanan Circle in nearby Pacheco (Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM). Present your valid proof of residency to receive one free voucher good for a single cubic yard of waste disposal at the Water Road Transfer Station.
Can I put residential food scraps in my green container?
Yes, absolutely. To satisfy California SB 1383 rules, all organic food waste—including fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, bread, cheese, meat, and bones—should be mixed directly into your green curbside cart.