Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for San Rafael
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Weekly on your scheduled collection day
Yard Waste
Weekly on your scheduled collection day
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Marin Sanitary Service bills residential customers directly every quarter, with rates based on the size of your primary garbage cart.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Low-income residents enrolled in the PG&E CARE program may qualify for a discounted service rate.
Gray/Black Bin (Trash)
Cart lids must close completely at all times. Place at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your service day with wheels facing the curb.
Accepted Items
- ✓Mixed household garbage
- ✓Diapers and sanitary products
- ✓Pet waste
- ✓Styrofoam
- ✓Broken ceramics or glassware
Blue (Split-Cart) Bin (Recycling)
Flatten cardboard; keep paper products separate from glass/plastic/metal within the split-cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Rigid plastics (#1-#7)
- ✓Paper and magazines
- ✓Cardboard
Do NOT Include
- ✕Food-soiled paper
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Hazardous waste
Yard Waste Bin
No plastic or 'biodegradable' bags. Place items loosely in the green cart. Keep lids closed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fruit and vegetable scraps
- ✓Meat and bones
- ✓Food-soiled paper
- ✓Leaves and grass clippings
- ✓Branches and wood
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Two scheduled collections per year
Placement
Must be scheduled with 24-hour notice. Items must be under 60 lbs and 6 feet in length for the base free service.
Accepted
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Furniture
- ✓ Appliances
Not Accepted
- ✕ Hazardous waste
- ✕ Electronics
- ✕ Construction materials
- ✕ Dirt or rocks
Additional items or items exceeding weight/size limits incur per-item fees.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Collection is delayed by one day for the remainder of the week following the holiday.
Yard Waste Exception
All services (garbage, recycling, and compost) follow the same holiday delay schedule.
If a holiday falls on a weekend, there is no service delay.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Spring and Fall
Varies by billing cycleYour bi-annual curbside cleanup week is set based on your billing cycle. During this week, you can set out up to 14 extra bags or containers of waste at no additional cost.
Local Tips & Community Info
Marin Sanitary Service Operations in San Rafael
Home to a deeply environmentally conscious population, San Rafael delegates its waste collection duties to Marin Sanitary Service (MSS). This long-standing local enterprise supplies households with a specific three-container sorting arrangement designed to maximize diversion from the Redwood Landfill. Properties are issued a green compost cart, a blue recycling bin, and a black or gray garbage receptacle. Because MSS handles the logistics for both residential and commercial zones, neighborhood routing is highly optimized. Any inquiries regarding broken lids, upgrading capacity, or checking neighborhood route maps should be directed to the MSS support desk in central San Rafael.
Curbside Protocol and Lift Spacing
To keep collection mornings running without a hitch, Marin Sanitary Service requires all bins to be positioned at the street edge by 6:00 a.m. on your specific service date. When wheeling them out, ensure the lid hinges point toward your house and the front faces the roadway. The hydraulic lifting mechanisms on the collection vehicles need ample room to operate safely, meaning you must leave at least two feet of open space between each receptacle. Furthermore, keep the carts distinctly separated from any stationary objects, such as fire hydrants or parked vehicles, to prevent accidental property damage.
Composting Organics the Marin Way
State legislation requires rigorous organics recycling, and San Rafael is no exception. All food scraps, soiled paper plates, pizza boxes, and landscaping debris must go directly into the green cart. MSS specifically advises against using 'compostable' bioplastics, as these materials frequently fail to break down in their commercial composting facilities. Instead, residents are encouraged to line their kitchen compost pails with old newspaper or simply toss the organic waste into the green bin loose. Keeping standard plastic bags out of the compost stream is paramount to maintaining the quality of the soil amendments produced.
Blue Cart Acceptable Materials
Your blue recycling container is meant strictly for clean, dry, and unbagged commodities. Accepted materials include corrugated cardboard, junk mail, aluminum cans, steel tins, and glass bottles. When tossing in rigid plastics, make sure they are thoroughly rinsed of any food residue. Soft, pliable plastics—such as grocery bags, bubble wrap, and shipping envelopes—are considered heavy contaminants because they wrap around the sorting gears at the materials recovery facility. If you are ever unsure about a specific item, MSS provides an interactive 'Where Does It Go?' search tool on their official website.
Coordinating Bulky Item and E-Waste Pickups
San Rafael residents do not have to struggle with hauling heavy debris to the transfer station themselves. MSS offers convenient curbside pickups for large, unwieldy items that exceed standard barrel capacities. Homeowners can schedule a collection for old mattresses, couches, refrigerators, and electronic waste like broken monitors or obsolete printers. To take advantage of this program, you must call their dispatch office ahead of time to coordinate a date and pay any applicable environmental handling fees. Depositing large furniture on the sidewalk without a scheduled pickup constitutes illegal dumping.
Schedule Adjustments for Major Holidays
San Rafael's standard refuse operations observe three primary holidays throughout the year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. If your normal collection falls on one of these specific dates, your service will be bumped to the very next day. Consequently, all remaining collections for that week will also shift forward by 24 hours, meaning Friday customers will be serviced on Saturday. During the weeks immediately following the winter holidays, MSS also runs a specialized neighborhood collection for bare, untreated Christmas trees, transforming them into reusable mulch.
Drop-off Facilities
Marin Sanitary Service
535 Jacoby St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule a bulky item pickup?
Contact Marin Sanitary Service at (415) 456-2601 at least 24 hours in advance to schedule your free collection.
Can I put compostable plastic bags in the green cart?
No. Plastic bags, even those labeled 'compostable,' are prohibited as they do not break down in the local composting facility.
What if I have extra garbage that doesn't fit in the cart?
Contact customer service before your service day to arrange for extra pickup, which will incur a fee.
How do I determine which week my curbside cleanup is?
Check the cycle code on your utility bill and match it with the Curbside Cleanup calendar on the Marin Sanitary Service website.