San Francisco is a cultural, financial, and commercial center near San Jose, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento located in northern California, United States. A licensed refuse collection company known as Recology Golden Gate is responsible for commercial and residential waste collection in the city of San Francisco.
Moreover, it is incorporated in Article 6, Section 291.1 of city law that it is obligatory for citizens to subscribe and pay for refuse collection services. As a citizen of San Francisco, your contribution will be precious in keeping the environment clean and healthy in the city.
San Francisco Garbage and Recycling Collection Schedule
If you are looking to get your trash and recycling collection schedule, you will have to contact Recology Golden Gate company because they are responsible for trash collection in San Francisco. The process to connect is quite simple as you will have to put your address and zip code in the search bar which is present in the link given below, and you will get your trash and recycling collection day.
recology.com/recology-san-francisco/collection-calendar/
Garbage Collection Time
Roll your trash outside to the curbside by 6 AM on your garbage collection day. Place your garbage and recycling cart outside, keeping a distance of 2 feet between them. Similarly, you also have to keep a distance of 3 feet among trash carts and static objects while placing your trash outside.
Do not hide your trash cart behind any static objects such as poles, mailboxes, and even vehicles; otherwise, your trash cart will not be serviced. Roll your trash carts back after 12 hours of your trash collection. Place your trash cart in a way that its lid will open towards the street. Moreover, try to place your cart in front of your property, such as at your driveway, at the end of the street, or at the mow strip.
Recycling Collection Time
The city will provide recycling pickup facilities along with your residential trash collection every week. So, in order to ensure your recycling trash collection, place your recycling cart outside along with your residential trash cart every week.
Acceptable recycling material includes plastic bottles and containers, beverage containers, metal jars and containers, paper, cardboard, glass, and rechargeable batteries. Put all these materials loosely into the recycling cart and do not place any plastic bags in the recycling cart.
Report Problems Related to Trash Services
If you experience a missed collection or any problem related to your trash cart, whether it is damaged or missing, you can report all these problems. To report a problem, you will have to fill out an online form. The link to the form is given below. You will have to provide your name, complete address, and nature of the complaint in the form. Once you report a problem, you will get a tracking number from 311 so you can track your report by the SF311 mobile app.
Residential On-Call Cleanup Program/Bulk Item Collection
The city will provide a bulk item pickup facility that works on an on-call cleanup program. You can enjoy two cleanups according to the yearly calendar free of cost as a resident of San Francisco. Additional pickups can also be scheduled free of cost. The bulk trash limit will be:
- 12 bags of garbage OR
- 6 bags of garbage and 1 bulk item such as bed mattresses, appliances, or a sofa OR
- 2 bulk items
In order to ensure your bulk collection is properly prepared, place it at the curb. Do not place small trash material loosely; put them into a bag or cardboard and then place them at the curbside. Tie all wood pieces and carpet pieces into a bundle, and the bundle must not be longer than 4 feet.
If your trash requires special handling, an additional fee will be charged. Do not place household hazardous materials with bulk trash piles because these items will be collected separately. Similarly, construction debris demolition will be collected through roll-off boxes and blue line transfer, so these cannot be collected with bulk trash.
If you have bulk trash and want to get rid of it, schedule your bulk pickup by calling (650) 589-4020. You will have to give some basic information such as your complete name and address, and you also have to provide them with a list of items that you wish to be picked up. The city waste management department will schedule your bulk trash pickup on one of any business day.
San Francisco Trash Holidays Schedule
The City of San Francisco will observe the following holidays, which will affect your trash and recycling schedule. Moreover, changes in the trash schedule will be sent to you through email if you observe these holidays on your normal trash collection schedule. Your trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day if you observe these holidays on your normal trash collection day.
| Holiday | Date and Day | Change in Trash and Recycling Services Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Thursday, December 25, 2025 | Trash collection will be done on Friday, December 26, 2025, and regular Friday collection will move to Saturday. Collection for the whole week delayed by one day until Saturday. |
| New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1, 2026 | Trash and recycling collection scheduled on Friday, January 2, 2026. |
| Martin Luther King Day | Monday, January 20, 2025 | Trash will be collected on January 21, 2025, Tuesday. |
| President’s Day | Monday, February 17, 2025 | Trash collection will be scheduled on February 18, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 26, 2025 | Trash and recycling will be collected on May 27, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Juneteenth | Thursday, June 19, 2025 | Your collection will be scheduled on June 20, 2025, Friday. |
| Independence Day | Friday, July 4, 2025 | Trash will be collected on July 5, 2025, Saturday. |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 1, 2025 | Trash will be collected on September 2, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day | Monday, October 13, 2025 | Trash will be collected on October 14, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Veterans Day | Tuesday, November 11, 2025 | Your trash service will be provided on November 12, 2025, Wednesday. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 27, 2025 | Your trash collection service will be delayed by two days and will be collected on November 29, 2025, Saturday. |
| Day after Thanksgiving | Friday, November 28, 2025 | Regular collection schedule will remain the same. |
| Christmas Eve | Wednesday, December 24, 2025 | Your trash will be collected on December 26, 2025, Friday. |
| Christmas Day | Thursday, December 25, 2025 | Trash collection will be done on December 26, 2025, Friday. |
| New Year’s Eve | Wednesday, December 31, 2025 | Collection will be scheduled on January 2, 2026, Friday. |
| New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1, 2026 | Trash collection will be done on Friday, January 2, 2026. |
