Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Morgan Hill
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Bi-weekly on assigned collection day
Yard Waste
Weekly on assigned collection day
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste services are franchised to and billed directly by Recology South Valley rather than bundled on your city water utility bill.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Recology South Valley offers a low-income rate discount for qualifying single-family households, as well as on-property side-yard collection assistance for disabled residents.
Gray Bin (Trash)
Place your gray cart against the curb with about 2 feet between carts and other obstacles no later than 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Broken glass
- ✓Pet waste
- ✓Styrofoam
Blue or Brown Bin (Recycling)
Place recyclables loose in the cart. Shredded paper is the only item permitted in a clear plastic bag. Set out by 6:00 a.m. on your bi-weekly collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Paper and cardboard
- ✓Metal and aluminum cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Plastics coded #1-#7
- ✓Shredded paper (must be in a clear plastic bag)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Black or white plastic garbage bags
- ✕Food waste
- ✕Liquids
- ✕Hazardous waste
Yard Waste Bin
Do not include oleander, poison oak, or palm trees. No plastic bags allowed—wrap food waste in newspaper or paper bags instead. Collected weekly.
Accepted Items
- ✓Food scraps (vegetables, meat, bones, dairy)
- ✓Food-soiled paper (pizza boxes, napkins, uncoated paper plates)
- ✓Leaves and grass clippings
- ✓Branches and prunings
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
On-call fee-based for single-family; free annual vouchers available for drop-off
Placement
Call Recology at (408) 842-3358 to request a quote and schedule the curbside pickup, or use your annual vouchers at the San Martin Transfer Station.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture
- ✓ Major appliances (with or without refrigerants)
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Bundled yard trimmings
- ✓ E-waste (TVs, monitors)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Household hazardous waste
- ✕ Liquids and chemicals
- ✕ Dirt, rock, concrete, and bricks
- ✕ Automobile parts
Single-family homes incur a fee per item collected at the curb. The two annual transfer station vouchers provide an alternative free drop-off option.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Recology South Valley operates regularly on all holidays except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, service is delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.
Yard Waste Exception
Organics and recycling are delayed on the exact same schedule as the regular trash collection.
If a major holiday falls on a weekend, your regular weekday collection schedule remains completely unaffected.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryAfter the holidays, unflocked Christmas trees cut into 3-foot by 3-foot sections can be placed next to your green organics cart on your service day for free collection.
Spring
March - MayTake advantage of Morgan Hill's annual 2nd Chance Week and Citywide Garage Sale, designed to promote community reuse and divert usable goods from the landfill.
Year-Round
January - DecemberSingle-family residents receive two free vouchers per year for the San Martin Transfer Station—one for a garbage load and one for recyclable/electronic items.
Local Tips & Community Info
Curbside Management with Recology South Valley
In Morgan Hill, residential waste collection is expertly managed by Recology South Valley. To guarantee your bins are emptied efficiently, citizens must position their standardized carts at the curb edge by 6:00 a.m. on the morning of their designated collection route. The automated mechanical arms on the collection trucks require adequate spatial clearance; therefore, leave a minimum of two feet between each container. Ensure carts are placed clear of overhanging tree limbs, fire hydrants, and parked vehicles. Once the trucks have serviced your neighborhood, local ordinances require that all empty receptacles be pulled back onto your private property by midnight to maintain clear municipal roadways.
Maximizing the Blue Recycling Bin
Santa Clara County prioritizes high diversion rates, making proper use of your blue recycling cart essential. Morgan Hill residents should place clean, loose materials into this bin, including cardboard boxes that have been flattened, aluminum soda cans, empty plastic bottles, and glass containers. A common mistake is bagging recyclables; plastic bags severely jam the sorting screens at the processing facility. Items like garden hoses, wire hangers, and styrofoam packaging are considered heavy contaminants and must never enter the blue cart. If in doubt about a specific material, residents can consult the 'What Bin' search tool on the Recology website.
Composting Directive and the Green Cart
Aligning with California's aggressive climate goals under SB 1383, Morgan Hill enforces a mandatory organics recycling program. Your green cart is no longer just for grass clippings and pruned branches; it is the required destination for all kitchen food scraps. Eggshells, coffee grounds, leftover pasta, and meat bones must go into the green bin to be composted into nutrient-rich soil amendments. Keeping organic material out of the standard landfill significantly reduces the generation of harmful greenhouse gases. Biodegradable compost bags are permitted to contain messy kitchen scraps, but traditional plastic grocery bags are strictly forbidden.
Oversized Waste and Bulky Goods
Upgrading appliances or clearing out seasonal clutter often yields items too massive for standard residential carts. Recology South Valley offers Morgan Hill single-family households convenient bulky item retrieval services. Instead of hauling a heavy couch or a broken dishwasher to the transfer station yourself, you can contact Recology customer service to schedule a specialized curbside pickup. Advanced scheduling is mandatory, as routing a flatbed truck requires logistical planning. Items abandoned on the sidewalk without a confirmed appointment are classified as illegal dumping and may attract municipal fines.
Santa Clara County HHW Protocols
Materials containing corrosive, toxic, or flammable properties pose immense dangers to sanitation workers and local ecosystems. Morgan Hill citizens are prohibited from dumping household hazardous waste (HHW) such as motor oil, wet paint, pesticides, or lithium-ion batteries into any curbside bin. To safely discard these volatile substances, residents must utilize the free drop-off events coordinated by the Santa Clara County HHW Program. Appointments can be booked online through the county portal, ensuring dangerous chemicals are processed at specialized environmental facilities.
Recognized Collection Holidays
The hauling schedule in Morgan Hill remains consistent throughout most of the year, interrupted only by three major holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your normal pickup falls on one of these three specific dates, your service will be pushed back by exactly one day. For example, Thursday customers will have their bins emptied on Friday during Thanksgiving week. For all other federal holidays, such as Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July, Recology drivers operate on their standard daily routes.
Drop-off Facilities
San Martin Transfer Station
14070 Llagas Ave, San Martin, CA 95046
Materials Accepted
Kirby Canyon Recycling & Disposal Landfill
910 Coyote Creek Golf Dr, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Morgan Hill provide weekly recycling pickup?
No, while standard garbage and green organics are collected weekly, residential recycling in Morgan Hill is collected on a bi-weekly schedule by Recology South Valley.
How do I dispose of a bulky item like a couch or refrigerator in Morgan Hill?
Single-family residents can call Recology at (408) 842-3358 to schedule a fee-based curbside pickup, or use one of their two free annual vouchers to drop the item off at the San Martin Transfer Station. Multi-family properties can have their manager schedule free pickups based on unit counts.
Can I put my food scraps in biodegradable plastic bags?
No. Morgan Hill's composting program strictly prohibits all plastic bags, including those labeled compostable or biodegradable. You should use a paper bag or newspaper to contain food scraps inside your green cart.
What should I do with my old household batteries and paint?
These items are considered household hazardous waste (HHW) and cannot go into any curbside bin. You must schedule a free drop-off appointment with the Santa Clara County HHW program by calling (408) 299-7300.