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City of Cupertino Residential Recycling, Compost & Garbage Collection

Resource recovery is more important than ever before. To preserve our natural resources, we work to close the loop on organic and recyclable materials by diverting them from going to landfills. Whether you are looking for recycling and compost services or garbage collection, Recology South Bay provides a range of options to you.

 

Recycling

Recology South Bay - Blue Recycling BinRecycling is more important than ever before to individuals and communities today. There is a pressing need to preserve our environment, save natural resources, reduce the amount of garbage going to landfills and make recycling easier.

Recology South Bay is committed to providing long-term environmentally conscious waste management services in our communities at the lowest rates possible.

 

 


Acceptable Recycling Materials
Only place recyclable materials into your recycling container!
Please rinse food and beverage containers and crush plastics.
Glass and Aluminum
  • Aerosol cans (empty)
  • Glass bottles and jars
    (labels and lids are OK)
  • Aluminum and bi-metal cans
  • Aluminum foil (clean, no food)

 

Mixed Paper

  • Phone books, catalogs, magazines, newspapers
  • Books (paperback and hardcover)
  • Cereal, cracker and frozen food boxes
  • Envelopes, junk mail, paper bags
  • Newspaper
  • Shredded paper (please put into a paper bag
    before placing in recycling cart)

 

Cardboard

  • Aseptics (paper cartons that include boxed soups, juice boxes and soy containers)
  • Cardboard must be flattened to fit inside recycling container with lid closed.

 

Household Batteries and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL's)

  • Place batteries and CFL's in separate clear, sealed plastic bag and set on ground next to the recycling car
Plastic
  • All plastics, with or without #1-#7, including flower pots, bottles, buckets and party cups
  • Bubble wrap
  • Plastic bags and film plastic
  • Plastic utensils
    (not cornstarch or compostable utensils)
  • PVC Piping (must fit in container)
  • Straws
  • Tubs (includes butter, cottage cheese, margarine, sour cream and yogurt containers)
  •  
Cupertino Single Stream Recycling Bin
 

Unacceptable Recycling Materials
Please do not place the following non-recyclable materials into your blue container!
Construction Debris
  • Concrete, rocks, dirt

 

Electronic / Universal Waste

  • Televisions, computers, cell phones, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury switches

 

Unacceptable Glass, Metal, Paper and Plastic

  • Place these items in your garbage container.

Household Hazardous Waste

  • Paints, solvents, motor oil, cleaners, corrosives, fuel tanks - propane tanks, syringes, medical waste

 

Yard Waste

  • Leaves, small branches, grass clippings

 

Compost

City of Cupertino Compost and Yard Waste Program

Food waste and yard waste is collected weekly in your tan cart.

Recology South Bay is committed to providing long-term environmentally conscious waste management services in our communities at the lowest rates possible.

 

 

 

Acceptable Green Waste, Food Waste & Organic Material
Only place green waste materials into your tan container!
Green Waste
  • Branches
    (no larger than 3 inches in diameter)
  • Brush and grass clippings
  • Floral trimmings, leaves and weeds

 

Food Waste

  • Bones, meat and poultry
  • Breads, pasta and rice
  • Eggshells, dairy and soy
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Seafood and shellfish

 

Organics

  • Coffee Grounds/Filters
  • Paper Milk Cartons & Pizza Boxes
  • Paper Tea Bags (not nylon or synthetic tea bags)
  • Soiled Paper Products such as Napkins and Paper Towels/Plates
  • Untreated Wood (including chopsticks)

Important Green Waste Notes!

  • Do not put yard waste in plastic bags.
  • Do not place yard clippings in plastic or paper bags. Place green waste loose in container.
  • Tree and shrub prunings must be cut small enough to fit inside the container with the lid closed.
  • Our automated trucks have a weight limit of 150 pounds. Carts filled to capacity with heavy materials can exceed this weight limit and may not be collected.

Compost Cart

Unacceptable Green Waste Materials
Please do not place the following materials into your green container!
Construction Debris
  • Concrete, rocks, sod, dirt, asphalt, lumber, plywood, particle board or other construction materials

 

Electronic / Universal Waste

  • Televisions, computers, cell phones, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury switches

 

Garbage

  • Plastic bags
  • Un-recyclable items
 Household Hazardous Waste
  • Paints, solvents, motor oil, cleaners, corrosives, fuel tanks - propane tanks, syringes, medical waste

 

Other Material

  • Animal feces or manure, tree stumps or trunks, painted or treated wood

 

Recyclable Material

  • Recyclable glass, metal, paper and plastic

 

Garbage

City of Cupertino Garbage Program

Recology South Bay is committed to providing long-term environmentally conscious waste management services in our communities at the lowest rates possible.

Please contact us with any questions about our garbage program.
 

 

 

Acceptable Garbage Materials
Only put non-recyclable materials into your gray container!
Glass
  • Auto, mirror and tinted glass
  • Glassware, crystal and dinnerware
  • Household window glass
  • Light bulbs (except fluorescent bulbs)

 

Metal

  • Clothes hangers
  • Wire
 Organic Material
  • Animal feces or manure
  • Rope

 

Plastic

  • Styrofoam/polystyrene containers
    and packing peanuts
Extra Garbage
Extra garbage must be bagged, boxed or bundled and prior arrangements for pickup must be made with Recology South Bay.

Extra Bag Tags are available for purchase through Recology South Bay Customer Service. Extra Bag Tags have no expiration date and can be used any time for collection on your regularly scheduled garbage pick up day.

Unacceptable Garbage Material
Please do not place the following materials into your gray container!
Construction Debris
  • Concrete, rocks, dirt, lumber, dirt, rocks, plywood or particle board

 

Electronic / Universal Waste

  • Televisions, computers, cell phones, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury switches

 

Yard Waste

  • Grass, leaves, tree and bush cuttings
 Hot Ashes or Coals

Household Hazardous Waste
  • Paints, solvents, motor oil, cleaners, corrosives, fuel tanks - propane tanks, syringes, medical waste

 

Recyclable Glass, Metal, Paper and Plastic

  • All recyclable materials

Bulky Items & Extra Bags

Bulky Item Collection - Couch on the Curb

Recology South Bay offers special pickup of bulky items such as appliances and furniture from the curbside.

For more information call our Customer Service Department at (408) 725-4020 or use our online contact form.

Customer Service hours:
Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:30pm.


Extra Bag Tags

Extra Bag Tags can be used when you have extra trash. The tags can be used at any time and have no expiration date. Place Extra Bag Tags on your extra garbage, and your collector will pick it up on your regularly scheduled garbage pickup day. Please call our Customer Service Department to purchase Extra Bag Tags.

Materials that are still usable should be donated, not recycled! Check your phone book for a list of non-profit organizations, or visit the City of Cupertino's website.

On Call Collection

City of Cupertino - On Call Collection ServiceHouseholds can select two days per year. Each on-call collection allows the Residential Service Recipient to schedule pick up of one of the following:
 

  • Garbage
  • Construction and Demolition Debris
  • Bulky Goods
  • Compostable Materials and clean wood waste


To arrange for an on-call pickup, please call our Customer Service Department
(408) 725-4020, Monday through Friday during regular business hours or use our
online contact form.

Advance notice of 24 hours is requested.
Unused on-call collection days are not transferable from one calendar year to the next.

On-Call Pick-Up Program Details

Garbage

  • All items must fit within an 8-foot long, 4-foot wide and 4-foot high area and be placed curbside/roadside no later than 7 am
  • Single items, bags, bundles or boxes cannot weigh more than 50 pounds each, and must be manageable by one person.

Construction and Demolition
  • All debris must be in containers
  • Individual boxes not weighing more than 40 pounds
  • Total weight not to exceed 250 pounds

Bulky Goods - Limit of 3 per clean-up including:
  • White goods (appliances) includes refrigerators and air conditioners which could contain Freon
  • Computer monitors and television sets
  • Worn and damaged furniture
  • No items with oil, diesel, or gasoline
  • To recycle TVs or computer monitors yourself please contact the City of Cupertino Computer Recycling Programs at (408) 862-2667, provided by Apple Computer's recycling facility

Compostable Materials and Wood Waste
  • Clean unpainted and untreated wood must be neatly stacked, boxed or in a trash can and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds
  • Branches must be less than 6-inches in diameter bundled, boxed or in a trash can and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds
  • No stumps, poison oak, or bug infested material accepted
  • No loose piles or plastic bags will be collected
  • No pressure treated wood, such as railroad ties

Important Reminders

Please report any missed collections to our office by the following business day by calling (408) 725-4020 or by using our contact form.

Recology South Bay is not responsible for any articles left on or near collection carts. Please take care in making sure your valuables are placed in a location where they will not roll or fall near the carts.

 

How to Set Out Your Carts at the Curbside

Recycling is collected with a fully automated truck that uses a mechanical arm to retrieve the cart, empty it and place it back down onto the street. The driver never leaves the truck.

Using the fully automated system makes the placement of the carts more important than ever - the mechanical arm needs to be able to grab a cart without touching the other carts.

Curb Side Placement

  • Place your carts on the street no later than 7:00am on your scheduled collection day.
  • Place wheels against the curb and close cart lids.
  • For easy reference, print the Curbside Placement Reference Guide!

 

Printable Material

Printer IconThe following PDF documents can be printed for easy reference. You will need the free Acrobat Reader to view these files.

 

Additional ResourcesRecycling Logo