Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for San Ramon
Trash Day
Varies by neighborhood zone
Recycling
Same day as trash pickup
Yard Waste
Same day as trash pickup
Set Out Time
By 5:30 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Garbage, recycling, and organics services are managed and billed directly by Alameda County Industries (ACI) of San Ramon three months in advance.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Mail, Phone
Pro Tip / Discount
No senior or low-income discounts are available, but single-family residents with a documented disability can apply for a waiver for on-premise push/pull service.
Gray Bin (Trash)
Trash must fit completely inside the cart so that the lid closes flat. Extra garbage outside the cart will not be collected unless it is properly contained in a 32-gallon bag featuring a prepaid 'Extra Garbage Service' tag.
Accepted Items
- ✓Regular household garbage
- ✓Diapers and personal hygiene products
- ✓Styrofoam and packing peanuts
- ✓Treated, painted, or stained wood
- ✓Broken ceramics, mirrors, and window glass
- ✓Bagged pet feces
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics (utensils, wrappers)
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be empty, clean, and dry. Do not bag your recyclables (except for the 'bag-in-bag' exception for plastic film). Keep items loose in the cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean office paper, magazines, and phone books
- ✓Flattened cardboard and paper boxes
- ✓Cartons (milk, juice, soup, broth)
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (all colors)
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Rigid plastics labeled #1-#7
- ✓Clean plastic film (ONLY if multiple bags are stuffed into one tied bag)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Loose plastic grocery bags
- ✕Food waste and liquids
- ✕Hazardous chemicals
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Drinking glasses and Pyrex
- ✕Electronics and batteries
Yard Waste Bin
If you choose to bag your organics or food scraps, you must use paper bags, certified compostable bags, or completely clear plastic bags. Black and white plastic bags are strictly forbidden.
Accepted Items
- ✓Fruit and vegetable scraps (including peels and pits)
- ✓Meat, bones, and dairy products
- ✓Coffee grounds and tea leaves
- ✓Food-soiled paper (pizza boxes, napkins, paper takeout containers)
- ✓Grass clippings, leaves, and weeds
- ✓Small branches (under 6 inches thick and 3 feet long)
- ✓Clean dimensional lumber (unpainted and untreated)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Three scheduled 'Neighborhood Clean-Up Days' per year
Placement
Place all items within 3 feet of the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your designated clean-up day. Do not set items out more than 24 hours in advance, and explicitly label any items intended for donation as 'REUSE'.
Accepted
- ✓ Large appliances and e-waste (doors removed)
- ✓ Couches, mattresses, and household furniture
- ✓ Up to four automobile tires (separated from rims)
- ✓ Bagged or boxed loose trash
- ✓ Bundled yard trimmings and clean wood
- ✓ Reusable items (books, dishware, clothing)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Single items exceeding 200 pounds
- ✕ Hazardous waste and wet paint
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Dirt, concrete, bricks, or rocks
- ✕ Abandoned automobiles or large auto parts
The three scheduled collections are included in your standard service. Exceeding the 3 cubic yard limit, setting out more than two bulky items, or requesting an off-schedule pickup will result in additional charges.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If your scheduled service day falls on or after an observed weekday holiday, your collection will be pushed back by one day for the remainder of that week (e.g., Thursday customers will be serviced on Friday).
Yard Waste Exception
Green organics and blue recycling carts follow the exact same holiday delay schedule as the gray garbage cart.
If an observed holiday falls on a weekend, your weekday collection schedule is unaffected. Furthermore, ACI works a normal schedule on minor holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - JanuaryChristmas tree collection runs for four consecutive weeks beginning December 26th. Place your un-flocked tree at the curb on your regular collection day. All ornaments, lights, tinsel, and stands must be completely removed. Trees over 6 feet tall should be cut into manageable sections.
Year-Round
January - DecemberCheck the ACI 'Clean Up Schedule' on their website by entering your home address. Single-family residents automatically receive three neighborhood clean-up dates throughout the year, removing the need to manually schedule your free bulk waste allowances.
Local Tips & Community Info
An Overview of ACI of San Ramon Services
Living in the picturesque San Ramon Valley means participating in a highly coordinated, environmentally conscious waste diversion program. The city contracts exclusively with Alameda County Industries (ACI) of San Ramon to provide comprehensive refuse, recycling, and organics hauling for all single-family homes, townhouses, and commercial corridors. This exclusive franchise agreement is designed to keep local streets immaculate while aggressively pursuing California's ambitious zero-waste targets. Homeowners are provided with a standard three-cart system and must adhere to the sorting guidelines established by the municipality and ACI.
Morning Curbside Deadlines and Spacing Requirements
To guarantee that the mechanized collection trucks can navigate the suburban streets efficiently, residents are required to have their carts at the curb by 6:00 a.m. sharp on their designated collection morning. The bins must be positioned side-by-side with at least three feet of physical space between them, ensuring the mechanical lifting arms do not knock them over. Furthermore, carts should be placed at least five feet away from parked vehicles, fire hydrants, and mailboxes. Once ACI drivers have emptied the containers, city ordinance requires residents to pull them back into a garage or side yard by the evening.
Mandatory Organics Diversion Protocol
San Ramon takes state organics legislation incredibly seriously. The green organics container provided by ACI is strictly for compostable materials, which now encompasses much more than just yard clippings and autumn leaves. Every household must discard all kitchen food scraps—ranging from leftover meat and dairy to coffee grounds and food-soiled pizza boxes—directly into the green cart. If you wish to bag your food scraps to control summer odors, you must use BPI-certified compostable bags or simple paper bags. Standard plastic grocery sacks will contaminate the composting load and may result in a non-collection tag being left on your bin.
Keeping the Recycling Stream Uncontaminated
The blue cart is your household's primary tool for diverting valuable materials away from regional landfills. Acceptable items include dry, flattened corrugated cardboard, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and rigid plastic containers numbered 1 through 7. ACI strongly advises residents to quickly rinse out beverage containers to prevent sticky residues from ruining clean paper products inside the truck. A major rule to remember is that recyclables must remain loose. Do not bag your recyclables, and never throw plastic film, bubble wrap, or electronic wires into the blue bin.
Handling Bulky Goods and Excess Household Waste
When residents need to discard oversized items that simply will not fit into the standard gray garbage cart, ACI of San Ramon offers a highly convenient solution. Each residential account is entitled to three free bulky item cleanups per calendar year. You can schedule these on-demand pickups to dispose of old mattresses, broken couches, large appliances, or extra bags of trash. To activate this service, you must call ACI customer support at (925) 380-9480 to lock in a date. The items must be placed neatly at the curb the night before your scheduled appointment.
Recognized Holidays and Schedule Shifts
The standard collection cadence in San Ramon is only interrupted by a select few major holidays. ACI observes Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. If your normal garbage day happens to fall on or immediately after one of these three specific holidays, your curbside pickup will be pushed back by one full day for the remainder of that week. For example, a Wednesday pickup disrupted by a holiday will take place on Thursday. During all other federal holidays, such as Labor Day or Memorial Day, ACI trucks operate on their normal daily schedules.
Drop-off Facilities
Clean Harbors Door-to-Door HHW Service
Direct to Resident Doorstep (San Ramon, CA)
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get rid of an old couch or mattress in San Ramon?
San Ramon single-family residents are automatically assigned three 'Neighborhood Clean-Up Days' per year. You can look up your dates on the ACI website and place up to two large bulky items (under 200 lbs each) at the curb for free. If you cannot wait for your assigned day, you can call ACI at (925) 380-9480 to schedule an immediate pickup for an extra fee.
What should I do if my gray garbage cart is completely full?
ACI will not collect loose trash or untagged bags sitting on the curb. If you occasionally exceed your cart's capacity, you must purchase an 'Extra Garbage Service' tag from City Hall (or by phone). Stick this tag onto a standard 32-gallon trash bag and place it next to your cart on collection day.
How can I safely dispose of paint and hazardous chemicals?
You do not need to drive to a county drop-off center. San Ramon offers a highly convenient, free door-to-door collection program through Clean Harbors. Call 1-800-433-5060 to set an appointment. They will mail you a plastic containment bag; you load your chemicals according to the instructions, and a driver will collect it from your driveway.
Are plastic bags allowed in the blue recycling cart?
Yes, but strictly under the 'bag-in-bag' rule. Loose plastic bags wrap around the gears at the sorting facility. If you want to recycle plastic grocery bags or film, you must stuff multiple bags tightly inside of one single bag, tie it in a knot, and then place it in the blue cart.