Black Bin (Trash)
Please bag your trash to prevent litter on the streets. Do not use the black bin as a default receptacle; it is strictly meant for materials that cannot be recycled or composted.
Accepted Items
- ✓Potato chip bags and candy wrappers
- ✓Juice boxes and soy milk cartons (Tetra Paks)
- ✓Diapers and pet waste
- ✓Latex gloves and sponges
- ✓Broken ceramics and non-recyclable glass
Blue Bin (Recycling)
Items should be empty, clean, and loose. Never place your recyclables inside plastic garbage bags. Flatten all cardboard boxes; oversized cardboard can be cut into 2'x3' bundles, tied, and leaned against the bin.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean paper, magazines, and mail
- ✓Flattened cardboard
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Hard plastics (bottles, cups, molded packaging)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags and soft film plastics
- ✕Food-soiled cardboard (pizza boxes)
- ✕Tanglers (cords, wires, hoses)
- ✕Textiles and clothing
Yard Waste Bin
San Francisco's green bin program is comprehensive. Bones and shells are encouraged as they add essential calcium to the compost. Keep items loose or use paper bags; do not use plastic bags.
Accepted Items
- ✓Vegetable peelings, fruits, and food scraps
- ✓Cooked meat, poultry, and bones
- ✓Crab, oyster, and egg shells
- ✓Food-soiled paper (napkins, coffee filters, pizza boxes)
- ✓Plant trimmings, leaves, and weeds
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Two free collections per year for single-family homes; one free collection for apartment tenants.
Placement
Place approved bulky items at the curb directly in front of your service address the night before or early morning of your confirmed appointment. Setting items out without an appointment is considered illegal dumping.
Accepted
- ✓ Sofas, chairs, and household furniture
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Large household appliances
- ✓ Electronic waste (TVs, monitors)
- ✓ Bagged textiles
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Dirt, concrete, rock, and sand
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (chemicals, wet paint)
- ✕ Automotive parts and tires
Additional pickups beyond the free yearly allotment, or dropping off excessive loads at the Recology Transfer Station, will incur standard disposal fees.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Collection is only delayed if your scheduled pickup day falls on or after Christmas Day (Dec 25) or New Year's Day (Jan 1). During those two weeks, service is pushed back by one day for the remainder of the week.
Yard Waste Exception
Compost (green) and recycling (blue) collections follow the exact same holiday delay schedule as the black trash bins.
Recology crews work all other holidays. You will have regular collection on Thanksgiving Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Memorial Day. Do not delay your bins on these dates.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
The Hard Plastic Drop Test
If you are unsure whether a plastic item belongs in the blue bin, hold it out and drop it. If it makes a distinct noise when it hits the ground (indicating hard plastic), it belongs in the blue bin. If it is soft film plastic and makes no sound, it goes in the black bin.
Keep Tetra Paks in the Trash
Foil-lined boxes designed for shelf-stable juice, soup, and soy milk (Tetra Paks) cannot be easily recycled in San Francisco's current material recovery facility. Always toss these multi-layered cartons into your black landfill bin.
No Plastic Bags in the Blue Bin
Soft film plastics and grocery bags jam the intricate mechanical sorting screens at the Pier 96 Recycle Central plant. Never bag your recyclables, and take film bags to designated grocery store drop-offs instead.
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryRecology collects clean, un-flocked Christmas trees curbside during the first two weeks of January. Trees must have all lights, tinsel, and stands removed. If your tree is taller than 6 feet, it must be cut in half before being placed next to your bins.
Fall/Winter
October - FebruaryTo help prevent localized flooding during the Bay Area's rainy season, residents are asked to keep storm drains clear of falling leaves. Sweep street leaves and place them directly into your green compost bin, never in plastic bags.
About San Francisco Waste Management
San Francisco's World-Leading Mandatory Sorting Ordinance
San Francisco has long been a global pioneer in zero waste, famously passing the Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance in 2009. This law requires every resident, apartment building, and business to properly separate their refuse into the standard three-bin system. Recology provides a black cart for landfill waste, a blue cart for recyclables, and a green cart for composting. Strict compliance with these sorting rules has helped the city divert an enormous amount of waste from landfills, transforming organic materials into nutrient-rich compost utilized by Bay Area farms and vineyards.
Direct Bulky Item Scheduling for Apartment Renters
Unlike many municipalities where only property owners can schedule bulk waste pickups, San Francisco empowers tenants to manage their own junk removal. Residents living in single-family homes receive two free Bulky Item Collection appointments per calendar year, while individual apartment tenants receive one free pickup per year. Tenants can contact Recology directly to schedule their collection without needing landlord approval. Items must be set out only once an appointment is confirmed, as illegal dumping on city sidewalks carries steep fines.
Recycling Household Batteries at the Curb
Disposing of expired household batteries safely is remarkably simple in San Francisco. Instead of tossing them into a bin where they pose a severe fire hazard, residential customers can place their used batteries inside a clear, sealable plastic bag and set the bag directly on top of their black landfill bin on collection day. Recology drivers will safely retrieve the bag and place it in a specialized, fire-safe bucket mounted on the side of their collection truck.
A Rare Uninterrupted Holiday Collection Schedule
San Francisco operates on an incredibly resilient trash collection schedule. Recology drivers work almost every single holiday throughout the year, meaning your bins will be emptied as normal on Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July. The only two holidays that cause a service delay are Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year's Day (January 1). If your regular pickup day falls on or after these two holidays, your service will be pushed back by one day for the remainder of that week.
Drop-off Facilities
Recology Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility
501 Tunnel Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134
Materials Accepted
Recycle Central at Pier 96
505 Amador St, San Francisco, CA 94124
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can apartment tenants schedule their own bulky item pickup in San Francisco?
Yes. Unlike many cities, San Francisco's waste program allows apartment renters to contact Recology directly to schedule one free bulky item collection per calendar year without needing approval from a landlord or property manager.
How do I dispose of old household batteries at the curb?
Residential customers can easily recycle expired household batteries by placing them in a clear, sealable plastic zip-lock bag and setting the bag directly on top of their black landfill bin on their regular collection day. The driver will place them in a special bucket.
Which holidays actually delay trash pickup in San Francisco?
Recology only delays service for Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year's Day (January 1). If your normal collection falls on or after those two holidays, it will be delayed by one day. For all other holidays, including Thanksgiving, your bins will be collected on their normal schedule.
Where should I throw away juice and soup boxes (Tetra Paks)?
Multi-material cartons, such as juice boxes, soup cartons, and soy milk boxes (Tetra Paks), cannot be processed in San Francisco's blue recycling bins. They must be thrown directly into your black landfill bin.