San Francisco Trash Pickup Schedule, Recycling & Composting 2026

⚖ What the Law Requires

• All residents and businesses must sort waste into the correct cart: landfill (black), recycling (blue), or compost (green).
• Placing compostable materials (food scraps, food-soiled paper) in the black landfill cart is a violation.
• Placing recyclables in the black or green cart is a violation.
• Recology crews may inspect carts. A yellow contamination tag on your cart means the contents were not sorted correctly.
• First offense: a warning tag. Repeat violations: fines starting at $100 per occurrence for residential customers.
• The law applies to renters and homeowners alike. Property owners are also responsible for ensuring their tenants comply.

💵 About Recology SF Rates

• Rates are set by the City & County of San Francisco through the Department of Public Works rate-setting process, not by Recology independently.
• The monthly rate is primarily determined by your black landfill cart size. The smaller the black cart, the lower your rate.
• Rates increase periodically following City approval. For current exact rates, visit recology.com/recology-san-francisco/rates or call (415) 330-1300.
• To change your cart sizes, contact Recology customer service at (415) 330-1300 or recology.com/recology-san-francisco/contact.
• Subscription to Recology service is mandatory by city ordinance for all residential and commercial properties (Article 6, Section 291.1 of SF City law).
• Overflow policy: Up to 3 cubic yards of extra landfill waste in bags or bundles may be placed beside the black cart each week. Extra recyclables may go in paper bags or cardboard boxes. Extra compost/yard waste may go in paper bags or BPI-certified compostable bags next to the green cart.

⏰ Official Set-Out Requirements

• All carts must be at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your collection day.
• You may set carts out the evening before your collection day.
• Place carts with the lid opening toward the street.
• Leave at least 2 feet between each cart and at least 3 feet between carts and any fixed objects (poles, mailboxes, parked cars, fire hydrants, trees).
• Do not place carts in front of a neighbor’s property, a vacant lot, a driveway, or blocking any access point.
• Truck arms require clear overhead clearance — no overhanging branches or power lines directly above carts.
• Lids must be fully closed. An overfilled cart with the lid open will be skipped.
• For alley or rear-of-building collection (common in SoMa and some commercial corridors): carts go in the alley or designated back area, not the front sidewalk. Check with Recology if you are unsure of your collection point.

☘ Free Compost Giveaways for Residents

The compost your green cart materials become is given back to the community. SF Environment, SF Public Works, and SF Unified School District hold free compost giveaway events throughout the year. Bring a 5-gallon bucket. Recology’s District Weekend Cleanup Events also distribute free compost. Check recology.com/recology-san-francisco for 2026 giveaway and event dates. SF residents only; bring proof of residency.

📌 How to Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup

• Single-family homes and small residential buildings: 2 free bulky item pickups per year.
• Multi-family buildings (6+ units): 1 free pickup per year per unit. Contact Recology to confirm your building’s eligibility.
• Schedule your appointment at least 2 weeks in advance by calling Recology at (415) 330-1300, emailing customerservice@recologysf.com, or submitting the Bulky Item Recycling Form online.
• On your scheduled collection day, place all bulky items curbside by 6:00 a.m.
• Mark each item clearly with a sign or tag that reads “RECOLOGY” so the crew knows exactly what to take. Items without this marking may be left.
• Keep bulky items separate from your regular carts.
• Do not place items in front of a neighbor’s property or a vacant lot.
• Additional pickups beyond your free allotment are available for a fee.

⚡ HHW Collection Facility — 501 Tunnel Avenue

Address: 501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134  •  Phone: (415) 330-1425  •  Email: hhw@recology.com

Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  •  Closed on New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving, December 25, and December 26.

• Free for San Francisco residents only. Bring proof of residency.
• Limit: 15 gallons of paint, oil, and other household chemicals per visit.
• No appointment needed for drop-off during open hours.
• Recology recycles and reuses most paint received at this facility — much of it is offered free to residents at the facility and at hardware store partners.

📷 What the HHW Facility Accepts

• Electronics: TVs, computers, monitors, printers, phones, tablets, VCRs, gaming consoles
• Paints and solvents: oil-based paints, latex paints, varnishes, stains, paint thinners, mineral spirits
• Automotive: motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, automotive batteries, brake fluid
• Batteries (all types including household AA/AAA, button cells, and lithium-ion)
• Pesticides, herbicides, and pool chemicals
• Fluorescent bulbs and CFLs
• Propane tanks and compressed gas cylinders
• Sharps and medical waste (call ahead: 415-330-1425)

🏠 Door-to-Door HHW Pickup

If you have more than one item of household hazardous waste and cannot transport it to 501 Tunnel Ave, Recology offers a free door-to-door HHW pickup service. Email hhw@recology.com to describe your materials and schedule. Pickups are available Wednesday – Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. You must be home at the time of pickup. Priority is given to disabled and elderly residents who cannot drive to the facility. Note: unlabeled or unknown substances cannot be picked up — all items must be identified.

📆 Transfer Station — 501 Tunnel Avenue (Public Drop-Off)

Transfer Station hours: Monday–Friday 7:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.  |  Saturday 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.  |  Sunday 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.  •  Closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The Transfer Station accepts bulky items, recyclables, construction and demolition materials, clean Styrofoam, and general self-haul loads. Disposal rates apply for some materials. For large Styrofoam blocks specifically: the Transfer Station accepts them for free for recycling via its on-site densifier. Visit recology.com/recology-san-francisco/sf-transfer-station for current rates and accepted materials.

💉 Paint Drop-Off at SF Hardware Stores

In addition to the HHW facility, residents can drop off up to 5 gallons of paint at the following SF hardware store partners: Center Hardware (999 Mariposa), Cliff’s Variety (479 Castro St.), Cole Hardware (3 locations: 3312 Mission St., 956 Cole St., 70 4th St.), Fredericksen Hardware (3029 Fillmore St.), Golden City Building Supply (1279 Pacific Ave.), and Roberts Hardware (1629 Haight St.).

🏠 New to San Francisco or Just Moved In?

First: enter your address at the Recology Collection Calendar (recology.com/recology-san-francisco/collection-calendar) to find your exact weekly collection day — all three carts are collected on the same day. Second: your subscription to Recology is mandatory by city law — set up your account by calling (415) 330-1300 or visiting the Recology contact page. Third: start composting immediately — the law requires it. Get a kitchen pail (available at most SF grocery and hardware stores) and learn what goes in the green cart. San Francisco’s mandatory sorting law applies to renters and homeowners alike.

🚫 5 Mistakes San Francisco Residents Make

• Placing carts less than 2 feet apart — the most common reason carts are skipped by automated truck arms
• Putting food scraps in the black landfill cart — this is illegal in SF and can result in a contamination tag and fine
• Using regular plastic bags to line the green compost cart — only BPI-certified compostable bags or paper bags are acceptable
• Not knowing that Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July are normal collection days in SF — only Christmas and New Year’s cause delays
• Putting batteries in any cart — batteries are a fire hazard in collection trucks; always take them to 501 Tunnel Ave HHW facility

🌿 The 16-Gallon Black Cart — SF’s Incentive to Divert More

San Francisco’s standard landfill cart is a 16-gallon black cart — one of the smallest default trash containers of any major U.S. city. This is by design: the city’s tiered rate system charges less for smaller black carts, creating a direct financial incentive to compost and recycle more and landfill less. Many SF residents who diligently sort into the green and blue carts find the 16-gallon black cart is more than enough. If you regularly overflow your black cart, reassess your sorting before upgrading to a larger size — the overflow is likely compostable or recyclable material that belongs in another cart.