Unincorporated 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
• Compost
• Garbage
• Bulky Items & Extra Bags
• On Call Collection

Recycling

Recycling 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.
Aseptic containers Aseptic containers are sterile cardboard containers, which are used to preserve food. Cardboard milk cartons. Cardboard orange juice cartons Fruit juice boxes   Glass All glass food, beverage jars and bottles. Remove metal lids and place separately in bin. Fruit juice Mayonnaise jars Spaghetti sauce jars   Metal All metal food and beverage containers including those made of aluminum, tin, steel and bi-metal. Aluminum foil and pie pans Aerosol cans (emptied of gas and liquid) Metal lids from glass bottles and jars Metal pots and pans Rinsed food and beverage cans (aluminum, steel, and tin) Scrap Metal Soda, pet food, soup, and tuna cans (lids okay)   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.	Plastic Containers marked #1 - #7 Detergent and shampoo containers Milk and orange juice jugs Plastic bags (please bag together before placing in cart) Water bottles   Paper Most clean and dry household paper: Cardboard Food boxes (cereal, crackers, remove liners) Junk mail & envelopes Magazines & catalogs Newspaper Paper (colored, computer, white, wrapping) Paper and hard cover books Paper bags Paper egg cartons Paper towel rolls Phone books Pizza boxes (empty)
Corrugated Cardboard If cardboard cannot fit in your recycling cart, flatten and place it alongside your recycling cart. Cardboard pieces should be no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet. Tie large quantities of cardboard with string. Household Batteries Place batteries in a clear, sealed plastic bag on top of the recycling cart. Sorry, we cannot accept cell phone batteries. Contact your cell phone dealer, or the Countywide Household Hazardous Waste line at (408) 299-7300 for recycling information. We cannot accept car batteries.   Motor Oil & Filters Used Motor Oil Place used motor oil in one-gallon plastic containers with tight fitting, screw top lids. (Milk and water jugs with pop-on lids are acceptable.) Lids must be taped securely! You may place up to two one-gallon containers next to your recycling bin for pickup. Used Oil Filters Place fully drained filters in a sealed, leak-proof, plastic bag and place curbside next to your recycling bins.
Unacceptable Recycling Materials Please do not place the following non-recyclable materials into your blue container!
Order Debris Box 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

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!
Accepted Yard Waste Grass clippings Leaves Small branches cut into 3 foot lengths or less Weeds	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.
Treecycling Each year during the month of January, Recology South Bay provides free Christmas Tree collection and recycling service. Place trees or carts curbside/roadside on your recycling day. Please remove tree stands and all decorations, including tinsel. (Flocked trees are acceptable). Small trees may be placed inside your yard waste cart for collection. Trees may be collected by a recycling truck other than the regular yard waste truck. Apartment dwellers must place trees in a central location and call to arrange for a pickup.
Unacceptable Green Waste Materials Please do not place the following materials into your green container!
Order Debris Box 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   Organic Material Food scraps, animal feces or manure, tree stumps or trunks, painted or treated wood   Recyclable Material Recyclable glass, metal, paper and plastic

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Home Composting

Help save precious resources by composting at home!

Free compost workshops are available throughout the County. Visit the Santa Clara County Home Composting Education Program online or contact them at 408-918-4640 for more information.

Garbage

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 Foil Wire   Organic Material Animal feces or manure Rope	Paper Paper towels, napkins and facial tissues Soiled papers, food wrappings, napkins, tissues or towels Food contaminated packaging such as pizza boxes.   Plastic Bubble wrap PVC or other plastic piping Shrink wrap and plastic bags and liners Styrofoam/polystyrene containers and packing peanuts Toys, trays, cups, garden hoses, flower pots Unmarked plastics
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!
Order Debris Box 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

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 (650) 961-8040
or (650) 961-8040
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 Freecycle.org.

On Call Collection

Households can select two days per year for these services:

• Two garbage disposal days.
• Two yard waste and wood recycling days.
• One garbage disposal day and one yard waste and wood recycling day.

To arrange for an on-call pickup call (408) 725-4020 or (650) 961-8040 or
(650) 961-8040 or use our contact form.

Advance notice of 48 hours is requested. Garbage, yard waste and wood disposal days are scheduled on normal collection days. Unused On-Call disposal or recycling days
are not transferrable to the next year.

On-Call Garbage Pick-Up Garbage Items Accepted Household Garbage Painted wood no more than 6-feet long and stacked neatly. (Railroad ties are hazardous and cannot be picked up.) Small amounts of dirt, rock, concrete, asphalt, brick and tile are accepted if boxed and weighs no more than 50 pounds per container (up to 250 pounds total). Program Requirements All items must fit within an 8-foot long, 4-foot wide and 4-foot high area and be placed curbside or roadside by 6:00 A.M. No individual item may be longer than 6 feet. Please place disposal items in bags, boxes or bundles. Each item must be less than 50 pounds each and be manageable by one person. Items We Cannot Accept No appliances, please arrange a bulky item collection. No TVs, computer monitors or other Household Hazardous Waste, Electronic / Universal Waste. No items with oil, diesel, or gasoline

On-Call Yard & Wood Waste Pick-Up

Yard & Wood Waste Items Accepted Branches Lumber Wood Yard Waste

Program Requirements All items must fit within an 8-foot long, 4-foot wide and 4-foot high area and be placed curbside or roadside by 6:00 A.M. Branches can be up to 6 inches in diameter and 6-feet long. Please bundle or box branches and trimmings for collection. Each bundle or box may not exceed 50 pounds. Lumber may be up to 6-feet long and must be stacked neatly (For the safety of our drivers, please remove all nails). Wood scraps must be boxed or bundled. Items We Cannot Accept No ice plant, cactus, poison oak, palm fronds, or bug, moth or ant-infested material. No painted trees. Since wood will be composted, we cannot accept painted, varnished, stained or treated wood (like railroad ties). Please, no plastic bags. Plastic will contaminate the entire load.

Important Reminders

Please report any missed collections to our office by the following business day by calling (408) 725-4020 or (650) 961-8040 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.

• Place your carts on the street by 6:00am on your scheduled collection day.
• Place wheels against the curb and close cart lids.
• For easy reference, print the Annual Service Brochure!

Printable Material

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

• Annual Service Brochure

Additional Resources

• County Recycling and Waste Reduction
• Countywide Recycling Information
  (800) 533-8414
• Curbside Inc.
  (800) 449-7587
• Home Composting Education Program
  (408) 918-4640
• Apple Computer Recycling Program
  (408) 862-2667