Charcoal or Gray Bin (Trash)
All trash should be securely bagged before placement to avoid scattering. Carts must be roadside by 6:00 AM on scheduled collection days with the lid closed flat to avoid overage or contamination fees.
Accepted Items
- ✓Single-use plastic bags, wrap, and flimsy plastics
- ✓Coated paper plates and take-out cups
- ✓Styrofoam block packaging, food trays, and cups
- ✓Disposable baby diapers and sanitary wipes
- ✓Securely bagged pet waste and kitty litter
- ✓Incandescent and halogen light bulbs
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All items must be empty and loose inside the blue container. Do not bag your recyclables, as bagged items are treated as trash due to facility mechanical sorting sorting hazards.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean, empty cardboard and paperboard packaging
- ✓Clean paper, newspapers, magazines, and mail
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (emptied and rinsed)
- ✓Aluminum and steel beverage or food cans
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic shopping bags or film wrap
- ✕Styrofoam materials of any kind
- ✕Soiled cardboard or grease-stained pizza boxes
- ✕Garden hoses, electrical cords, and wire hangers (tanglers)
- ✕Liquid container residue or wet food waste
Yard Waste Bin
Keep organic materials loose in the green bin. No plastic bags, rocks, soil, concrete, pet feces, or treated wood are allowed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Food leftovers (raw/cooked meat, bones, cheese, fruits, vegetables)
- ✓Food-soiled napkins, paper towels, and greasy pizza boxes
- ✓Grass clippings, tree leaves, weeds, and plant prunings
- ✓Clean, untreated, and unpainted natural wood scraps
- ✓Branches and limbs under 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
2 free bulky collections per calendar year
Placement
Set bulky waste at the curb by 5:30 AM on your appointed morning. Do not place items on the street the night before to prevent illegal dumping by others, and limit the pile size to no more than two sidewalk squares.
Accepted
- ✓ Sofas, chairs, tables, and wooden furniture
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Large home appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers)
- ✓ Clean, untreated, unpainted wood scraps (limbs bundled, under 4 ft long)
- ✓ Up to 2 cubic yards of extra bagged trash (approx. 16 trash bags)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Any individual item exceeding 75 pounds
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (liquid paints, chemicals, motor oil)
- ✕ Rocks, dirt, concrete, gravel, and construction debris
- ✕ Standard fluorescent tubes and batteries
The two annual curbside appointments are free. Overage fees apply if trash piles exceed 2 cubic yards or individual items exceed program weight limits.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If your scheduled curbside collection day falls on one of these three observed weekday holidays, your garbage, recycling, and organics services will be delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week. For example, Friday routes are moved to Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
All recycling and organic collection routes shift uniformly in accordance with the holiday delay schedule.
Regular collections proceed exactly on schedule on normal weekdays for all other federal or state holidays, such as Memorial Day or Labor Day.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Leave Recyclables Completely Loose
Never bundle recyclables in plastic grocery bags before tossing them into the blue bin. Thin bags jam conveyor gears at sorting facilities, meaning bagged loads must be dumped directly into the landfill stream.
Keep Plastic Out of the Composting Loops
Do not put plastic film, standard garbage bags, or bio-compostable plastic bags into the green organics cart. Keep scraps entirely loose, or wrap wet kitchen waste in plain newspapers or paper bags to keep the compost stream clean.
Discard 'Tanglers' Safely in the Trash
Hoses, wire hangers, extension cords, and holiday lights cannot be recycled curbside. Known as 'tanglers,' these long materials jam processing lines and pose immediate safety risks to workers.
Seasonal Information
Autumn Leaf Management
October - DecemberHeavy late-autumn leaf falls must go directly inside your green organics cart. Residents are strictly prohibited from sweeping or blowing leaves into public street gutters, as this clogs municipal storm sewer grates and sweepers, leading to street flooding.
Holiday Tree Composting
JanuaryUndecorated, natural holiday trees are collected curbside during early winter. Strip all tinsel, stands, and ornaments. Cut trees exceeding 6 feet in half before leaving them at the curb next to your green organics bin. Flocked trees are not compostable and belong in the garbage.
About San Lorenzo Waste Management
San Lorenzo's Integrated Sanitary and Waste Framework
Because San Lorenzo is an unincorporated community, residential waste infrastructure is administered by the Oro Loma Sanitary District. Under this regional structure, Waste Management (WM) of Alameda County operates as the exclusive franchised collector. Together, the district and WM manage neighborhood collections of solid waste, mixed recycling, and organic compost, adhering to strict countywide diversion standards to keep local environments clean and healthy.
Meeting State Organics Mandates under SB 1383
In compliance with California’s climate initiatives (SB 1383), San Lorenzo residents are required to keep all compostable organic material out of regular landfills. Residents utilize their green organics cart to throw away food scraps—including raw or cooked meat, poultry, dairy, bones, fruit, and vegetables—directly alongside lawn clippings and food-soiled paper products like greasy pizza boxes and napkins. These sorted organics are composted regionally instead of generating harmful methane gas in local landfill sites.
At-Your-Door Curbside Battery and Engine Oil Programs
To eliminate the safety hazards of battery combustion in municipal trucks and protect local storm drains, San Lorenzo offers convenient doorstep recycling programs for hazardous liquids and small electronics. Residents can place taped household batteries in a clear zip-top bag directly on top of their blue recycling container lid on collection mornings. For motor oil, residents can request a specialized curbside recovery kit from Waste Management consisting of secure screw-top jugs and filter bags.
Pre-Scheduled Bi-Annual Bulky Waste Service
Rather than standard community clean-up weekends, San Lorenzo single-family households have access to up to two free scheduled curbside bulky collections per year. Managed by Waste Management of Alameda County, residents must arrange these appointments at least two weeks in advance to dispose of oversized household furniture, mattresses, small appliances, or up to 2 cubic yards of bagged household debris.
Drop-off Facilities
Hayward HHW Facility (Alameda County HHW)
2091 West Winton Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545
Materials Accepted
Vision Recycling San Lorenzo
2477 Baumann Ave, San Lorenzo, CA 94580
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I safely recycle household batteries and used motor oil in San Lorenzo?
Place taped household batteries in a sealed plastic bag on top of your blue recycling cart lid on collection day. For used motor oil and filters, call WM at 510-613-8710 to request a free motor oil kit (two jugs and a filter bag) to be placed next to your carts.
Where can I legally dispose of household chemicals and paint for free?
Do not throw toxic chemicals or paints in your curbside carts. Bring them to the Hayward Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2091 West Winton Avenue, Hayward. This drop-off service is free for all Alameda County residents.
Are compostable plastic bags allowed in San Lorenzo's organics cart?
No. The Oro Loma Sanitary District and WM of Alameda County do not accept compostable or biodegradable plastic film bags in the green organics container. Kitchen food scraps must be placed loosely, wrapped in newspaper, or collected in plain paper bags.
What happens if Waste Management finds the wrong items in my trash or recycling bins?
Waste Management uses smart truck cameras to photograph overfilled or contaminated carts. After two warning notices, additional contamination or overfill charges will be assessed on your monthly utility bill.