What Goes Where
Recyclables
Please place all recyclable materials together in your blue recycling cart or bin. All items must fit loosely inside the recycling container with the lid closed.
Metal
Empty and rinse food and product containers.
- Aerosol cans (empty and non-hazardous)
- Aluminum foil, foil trays and pans (clean)
- Aluminum pie pans
- Beverage and soda cans
- Can lids – metal
- Car parts – small (no fluids)
- Doors and screens
- Electrical motors
- Food and soup cans
- Furniture (e.g., chairs, tables)
- Hangers – metal/wire
- Keys
- Lids and caps – metal (e.g., from glass bottles, jars)
- Nuts and bolts
- Paint cans (remove excess paint, let residue dry)
- Pet food cans
- Pipes
- Plumbing fixtures
- Pots and pans
- Propane tanks (empty, with valve off)
- Scrap metal
- Screws and nuts
- Tools – metal
- Toys – metal
- Umbrellas – metal
- Utensils – metal
Glass
Empty and rinse food and product containers.
- Broken glass (e.g., bottles, jars)
- Clear beverage bottles
- Clear food jars and containers
- Wine bottles
Paper
Staples and tape are acceptable.
- Aseptic containers* (e.g., juice, soup, soy milk)
- Books – hardback and softback
- Carbonless paper (e.g., receipts)
- Cardboard – unwaxed (flattened)
- Cereal and cracker boxes (remove liners)
- Coffee cups
- Colored or construction paper
- Coupons
- Egg cartons – cardboard
- Envelopes (plastic window OK)
- Frozen food packaging – cardboard
- Gift wrap (no metallic/foil)
- Juice boxes and cartons
- Junk mail
- Magazines and catalogs
- Mailers – cardboard (e.g., FedEx, UPS)
- Milk cartons
- Newspaper – clean (including inserts)
- Paper bags
- Pizza boxes – clean
- Shoe boxes
- Shredded paper (tie in clear plastic bag)
- Telephone books
- White office computer paper
Plastic
Empty and rinse food and product containers.
- Baby wipe containers
- Baskets – plastic
- Beverage bottles (e.g., soda, juices, water)
- Bleach and detergent bottles
- Buckets (remove metal handles)
- Coat hangers – plastic
- Coffee cup lids
- Crates – plastic
- Flowerpots – plastic
- Food containers (e.g., cottage cheese, yogurt)
- Furniture – plastic (e.g., chairs, tables)
- Household cleaner bottles (non-toxic)
- Mouthwash container
- Pet carriers
- HDPE pipe – plastic
- Plastics #1-#7
- Prescription bottles (must be empty)
- Shampoo and conditioner bottles
- Shelving – plastic
- Squeezable bottles (e.g., honey, mayo, ketchup)
- Swimming pools (e.g., rigid, inflatable)
- Take-out food containers – plastic
- Toys – plastic
Film Plastic
Bundle in a clear plastic bag and knot the top.
- Bread bags
- Bubble wrap
- Cellophane bags (e.g., pasta, salad, cookies)
- Dry cleaning bags
- Frozen food bags or pouches
- Newspaper bags
- Pallet wrap
- Plastic liners (e.g., from food packaging)
- Plastic wraps
- Produce bags
- Shrink wrap
Organics
Please place all food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings together in your organics cart or bin. Items may not exceed 3 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter and must fit loosely inside with the lid closed. Food scraps do not need to be bagged.
- Bones
- Branches – cut to fit loosely in cart
- Bread
- Coffee grounds
- Dairy products (e. g., cheese)
- Dough
- Eggs
- Filters (e. g., coffee, tea)
- Fish and shellfish
- Flax
- Flowers
- Fruit
- Garden/tree fruits and vegetables
- Grains (e. g., beans, rice)
- Grass clippings
- Holiday trees
- Landscape vegetation
- Leaves
- Meat
- Newspaper – soiled (food or grease)
- Paper cups and plates – not coated
- Paper napkins
- Paper straws
- Paper take-out food containers (e. g., fast food)
- Paper towels
- Pasta
- Pizza boxes – soiled (food, grease)
- Plant trimmings
- Poultry (e. g., chicken, turkey)
- Shrubs
- Small prunings
- Succulents
- Tree trimmings – size limitations: 3′ long and 6″ in diameter
- Vegetables
- Wood/lumber (non-treated and non-painted) – size limitations: 3′ long and 6″ in diameter
Landfill
Please place all NON-reusable, NON-recyclable, and NON-hazardous materials in your landfill cart or bin.
All items must fit loosely inside the landfill container with the lid closed. For an extra pick-up, please contact Customer Service at 408.283.9250.
Yard Waste
- Ashes (bagged, hot ashes prohibited)
- Bamboo
- Cactus
- Crates – wood
- Dirt*
- Hay
- Lumber
- Palm fronds
- Pampas grass
- Pet waste (bagged)
- Poison oak
- Rocks*
- Sawdust (bagged)
- Sod*
- Soil*
- Stumps*
- Tan Bark
- Yucca
*Small quantities only.
Paper
- Carbon paper
- Cardboard – waxed, wet, or dirty
- Envelopes (e.g., padded, Tyvek)
- Ice cream cartons
- Newspaper- dirty (paint or pet waste)
- Photographs
- Thermal fax paper
- Waxed paper
Plastic
- Chip bags
- Credit cards
- Foil beverage pouches
- Gloves (single-use and disposable)
- Pipe – PVC
- Rubber bands
- Shoes
- Straws
- Take-out food containers – polystyrene foam
- Tarps*
- Toothpaste and ointment tubes
- Utensils – plastic (e.g., spoons, forks, knives)
- Webbing/mesh (e.g., from lawn furniture)
*For large quantities of these items, please call Customer Service at 408.283.9250 to schedule a debris box.
Polystyrene/StyrofoamTM
- Cups and plates
- Egg cartons – molded foam
- Foam packing (e.g. from electronics)
- Meat trays – molded foam
- Packing “peanuts” (bagged)
- Take-out food containers – polystyrene foam
Fabric/Textiles
Try donating first.
- Accessories (e.g., belts, purses)
- Boots and shoes
- Burlap
- Carpet and rugs
- Cotton
- Diapers – cloth or disposable (bagged)
- Down filled items
- Electric blankets
- Fabrics
- Leather goods
- Linen
- Pillows
- Polyester
- Rayon
- Rubber
- Stuffed animals
- Vinyl
- Wool
Electronic Waste
- Audio tapes
- CDs and DVDs (e.g., computer, music)
- Speakers
- Video tapes
Glass
- Ceramics
- Cookware – glass (e.g. baking pans, PyrexTM)
- Dishware – ceramic
- Eye glasses
- Glass art
- Incandescent light bulbs
- Mirrors