Black Bin (Trash)
Carts must be rolled curbside by 6:00 AM on service morning with wheels placed against the curb and lid arrows pointing toward the street. Ensure all waste is bagged and the lid closes completely.
Accepted Items
- ✓Cat litter and bagged animal waste
- ✓Black plastics of all shapes and sizes
- ✓Ceramics, porcelain, and home glassware
- ✓Disposable diapers and sanitary wipes
- ✓Juice and soup boxes with internal foil lining
- ✓Polystyrene and Styrofoam packaging
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables. All accepted paper, metal, glass, and plastic must be loose, clean, and dry inside the blue bin.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paperboard packaging
- ✓Clean, dry paper, junk mail, and catalogs
- ✓Aluminum, steel, and tin food or beverage cans
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars (rinsed and dry)
- ✓Plastic containers numbered 1 through 7
Do NOT Include
- ✕Black plastic items
- ✕Single-use plastic grocery bags or plastic film
- ✕Polystyrene foam packaging
- ✕Soiled cardboard or food residue
- ✕Hoses, electrical cords, and clothing
Yard Waste Bin
Do not use standard plastic bags. Only paper bags or compostable bags certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) are permitted in the organics cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓All food leftovers (raw or cooked meat, fish, bones, dairy, fruit, veg)
- ✓Food-soiled paper towels, napkins, and paper coffee cups
- ✓Greasy pizza boxes and paper takeout containers
- ✓Grass clippings, yard weeds, leaves, and flowers
- ✓Prunings and small branches
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 free collection appointments per calendar year
Placement
Items must be placed at the curbside by 6:00 AM on your pre-arranged collection day, clear of sidewalks and vehicles.
Accepted
- ✓ Up to 2 cubic yards of bagged or boxed solid waste (approx. 12 garbage bags)
- ✓ One major home appliance (washer, dryer, refrigerator)
- ✓ One bulky furniture item (mattress, sofa, table)
- ✓ One e-waste item (computer monitor, television, microwave)
- ✓ Up to 4 passenger vehicle tires
Not Accepted
- ✕ Liquids, hazardous waste, and chemicals
- ✕ Dirt, sand, rocks, sod, and concrete
- ✕ Hot coals, ashes, and flammable liquids
The two annual curbside bulk pickups are free of charge. Pickups exceeding these allocations or involving oversized commercial items can be scheduled for an additional fee.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Recology San Mateo County operates normal collection schedules on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. If your regular collection day falls on one of these two holidays, your pickup is shifted to the Saturday BEFORE the holiday.
Yard Waste Exception
All trash, recycling, and organic collection schedules follow the same holiday adjustment.
If Christmas Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no change to standard weekday collection routes.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Tape Terminals to Prevent Fire Hazards
Before placing batteries in a zip-top bag on your black cart lid, tape the terminal ends of lithium-ion and button batteries. Untaped batteries rub together in collection trucks, creating short circuits that can cause dangerous fires.
Keep Black Plastics Out of Blue Carts
Never place black plastic cups, trays, or packaging in your blue recycling bin. Optical sorters at the processing plant cannot read black pigment, which causes black plastic to be rejected and sent to landfills.
Never Include Pet Feces in Organics
Do not put cat litter, dog feces, or animal droppings in the green organics container. Pet waste contains harmful bacteria that survive standard commercial composting temperatures, ruining the safety of municipal soil output.
Seasonal Information
Holiday Tree Composting
JanuaryNatural, undecorated Christmas trees are collected curbside between January 2nd and January 31st. All ornaments, stands, tinsel, and lights must be removed, though flocked trees are accepted. Trees exceeding 8 feet in length must be cut in half prior to placement.
Stormwater Runoff Prevention
October - FebruaryDuring heavy fall and winter rain seasons, avoid sweeping leaves or lawn trimmings into public street gutters. Loose debris quickly clogs local storm drains, which causes neighborhood flooding and routes pollutants directly into the San Francisco Bay.
About Menlo Park Waste Management
Menlo Park's Community Zero Waste Mandate
In Menlo Park, residential trash, recycling, and composting collections are operated through Recology San Mateo County as part of the regional South Bayside Waste Management Authority (RethinkWaste). Guided by the city's progressive Community Zero Waste Plan adopted in 2017, the residential program focuses on aggressive landfill diversion, local environmental stewardship, and strict compliance with California's organic sorting regulations (SB 1383).
Weekly Organics Recovery and Free Kitchen Pails
Under California Senate Bill 1383, organic waste must be kept entirely out of standard landfills. Menlo Park residents use their green organics cart to discard food scraps, greasy paper take-out containers, and typical garden trimmings. To make indoor sorting convenient, Recology provides free countertop food scrap kitchen pails to single-family households. Organics collected curbside are sent to commercial compost facilities and processed back into premium compost.
Curbside Household Battery and Cell Phone Collection
To prevent toxic chemicals and heavy metals from entering regional water tables and landfill systems, Menlo Park single-family homes have access to an extremely convenient curbside disposal program for small devices and batteries. Instead of driving to a recycling depot, residents can simply seal old cell phones and taped household batteries inside a clear zip-top bag and set it directly on top of their black trash cart lid on service morning.
Year-Round Free Compost for Residents
As an active member of RethinkWaste, Menlo Park residents are entitled to receive free, high-quality organic compost year-round. Residents can pick up compost at the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos. The city also hosts localized free municipal compost giveaway events periodically throughout the summer using finished compost generated directly from regional residential green carts.
Drop-off Facilities
Shoreway Environmental Center (Transfer Station & Public Recycling)
333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I safely recycle cell phones and batteries in Menlo Park?
Tape the metal terminals of rechargeable lithium batteries and place them, along with any unwanted cell phones, inside a clear zip-top plastic bag. Set this sealed bag directly on top of your black landfill cart on your regular collection morning.
Where can I get free compost in Menlo Park?
Menlo Park residents can pick up free compost year-round at the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos. Shovels and bags are provided on-site, with a limit of two 50-pound bags per resident each week.
How do I dispose of expired or unwanted prescription medications in Menlo Park?
Unwanted or expired prescription medications should never be placed in your trash or flushed. The City of Menlo Park provides a free, secure drop box located in the Police Department lobby at 701 Laurel St., accessible during standard business hours.
Are compostable plastic bags allowed in the green organics bin?
Only compostable bags that are officially certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) are accepted in Menlo Park's green organics cart. All other bioplastics, even if labeled compostable or green, are treated as contamination and must go in the trash.