Trash, bulk pickup & dump guide for San Francisco, CA
Bulk pickup schedules, landfill hours and fees, and hazardous waste drop-offs for San Francisco residents — from official city and county sources.
- Weekly curbside collection of trash, recycling, and compost bins for residential customers. Service runs on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. City law mandates a minimum of 16 gallons/week trash, 16 gallons/week recycling, and 8 gallons/week compost per unit.
- By appointment only. Residential customers (buildings with 5 units or fewer) receive two free curbside Bulky Item Recycling collections per year; each unit in a multi-family building (6 units or more) is eligible for one free curbside collection per year. Appointments may be two or more weeks out; expedited alternative is drop-off at the Recology Transfer Station (fees may apply).
- Free within the annual allotment for residents; additional collections available upon request for a nominal fee. Businesses pay a small fee.
- Recology San Francisco (the City's franchised refuse hauler, operating at the City's direction)
At a glance: San Francisco
- Trash day
- Weekly curbside collection of trash, recycling, and compost bins for residential customers. Service runs on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. City law mandates a minimum of 16 gallons/week trash, 16 gallons/week recycling, and 8 gallons/week compost per unit.
- Bulk pickup
- By appointment only. Residential customers (buildings with 5 units or fewer) receive two free curbside Bulky Item Recycling collections per year; each unit in a multi-family building (6 units or more) is eligible for one free curbside collection per year. Appointments may be two or more weeks out; expedited alternative is drop-off at the Recology Transfer Station (fees may apply).
- Bulk cost
- Free within the annual allotment for residents; additional collections available upon request for a nominal fee. Businesses pay a small fee.
- Dump
- Recology San Francisco Transfer Station (Public Recycling and Disposal Drop-Off)
- Hazardous waste
- Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
Regular trash day
- Schedule
- Weekly curbside collection of trash, recycling, and compost bins for residential customers. Service runs on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. City law mandates a minimum of 16 gallons/week trash, 16 gallons/week recycling, and 8 gallons/week compost per unit.
Bulk & large-item pickup
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Landfills, transfer stations & drop-offs
| Name | Type | Address | Hours | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recology San Francisco Transfer Station (Public Recycling and Disposal Drop-Off) | transfer-station | 501 Tunnel Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 (enter on Recycle Road) Open to the public 7 days a week. The City's refuse rates (Oct 2025–Sep 2026) set the tipping fee at $261.95 per ton delivered to Recology San Francisco facilities. | Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Payment: Visa, MasterCard, and cash (no checks). | — |
| ||||
Household hazardous waste
Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
- Address
- 501 Tunnel Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 (enter on Recycle Road)
- Phone
- 415-330-1405
- Hours
- Thursday–Saturday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.
- Residency
- San Francisco residents only — proof of SF residency required (e.g., driver's license or utility bill); waste must be from your own home. Limit 15 gallons of paint, oil, and other household chemicals.
Accepted
- paint
- motor oil
- small amounts of hazardous household chemicals
- fluorescent lamps
- e-waste
Yard waste
- Schedule
- Weekly green compost-cart collection of food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings (leaves, grass clippings, branches — no palm trees, oleander, or poison oak). Place extra yard trimmings next to the green cart in a compostable bag, or bundle them with string into a manageable size (2' x 3').
E-waste
- How
- Schedule a free curbside Bulky Item Recycling pickup (residents), or drop off e-waste at the SF Transfer Station, 501 Tunnel Ave (up to 30 electronic items/month free). Many Goodwill stores also accept working and non-working electronics. Fluorescent bulbs are hazardous waste and cannot go in the garbage.
- Cost
- Free: up to 30 electronic items per month at the SF Transfer Station (no other material mixed in); $1.50 per piece over 30. Fluorescent lamps: free up to 30 per month per customer, $3.00 per lamp over 30. Free curbside via the Bulky Item Recycling program for residents.
San Francisco has no landfill within city limits; the Recology SF Transfer Station is the City's public drop-off hub (also a registered construction and demolition debris recycling facility). Recology provides uninterrupted collection service on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. City law mandates minimum weekly service per unit of 16 gallons trash, 16 gallons recycling, and 8 gallons compost. Small businesses generating under 27 gallons (220 lbs) of hazardous waste per month can use the Very Small Quantity Generator program (every other Wednesday 8–11:30 a.m., by appointment: 415-330-1425).
Frequently asked questions
- When is trash day in San Francisco, CA?
- Weekly curbside collection of trash, recycling, and compost bins for residential customers. Service runs on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. City law mandates a minimum of 16 gallons/week trash, 16 gallons/week recycling, and 8 gallons/week compost per unit.
- When is bulk pickup in San Francisco, CA?
- By appointment only. Residential customers (buildings with 5 units or fewer) receive two free curbside Bulky Item Recycling collections per year; each unit in a multi-family building (6 units or more) is eligible for one free curbside collection per year. Appointments may be two or more weeks out; expedited alternative is drop-off at the Recology Transfer Station (fees may apply). Schedule online via the Recology web form or BulkyItemRecycling.com, or email customerservice@recologysf.com. Commercial customers: book online or call (415) 330-1300. Additional collections beyond the annual allotment are available for a nominal fee (residential) or for a fee (commercial).
- How much does bulk pickup cost in San Francisco?
- Free within the annual allotment for residents; additional collections available upon request for a nominal fee. Businesses pay a small fee.
- What items are accepted for bulk pickup in San Francisco?
- furniture, appliances, mattresses, large electronics (TV sets, vacuum cleaners)
- Where can I dump trash near San Francisco?
- Recology San Francisco Transfer Station (Public Recycling and Disposal Drop-Off) (501 Tunnel Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 (enter on Recycle Road))
- Where do I take hazardous waste in San Francisco?
- Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility (501 Tunnel Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 (enter on Recycle Road))
- Yard waste in San Francisco: Weekly green compost-cart collection of food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings (leaves, grass clippings, branches — no palm trees, oleander, or poison oak). Place extra yard trimmings next to the green cart in a compostable bag, or bundle them with string into a manageable size (2' x 3').
- Weekly green compost-cart collection of food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings (leaves, grass clippings, branches — no palm trees, oleander, or poison oak). Place extra yard trimmings next to the green cart in a compostable bag, or bundle them with string into a manageable size (2' x 3').
- E-waste in San Francisco: Schedule a free curbside Bulky Item Recycling pickup (residents), or drop off e-waste at the SF Transfer Station, 501 Tunnel Ave (up to 30 electronic items/month free). Many Goodwill stores also accept working and non-working electronics. Fluorescent bulbs are hazardous waste and cannot go in the garbage.
- Schedule a free curbside Bulky Item Recycling pickup (residents), or drop off e-waste at the SF Transfer Station, 501 Tunnel Ave (up to 30 electronic items/month free). Many Goodwill stores also accept working and non-working electronics. Fluorescent bulbs are hazardous waste and cannot go in the garbage.