Paper bags are made of varied thicknesses of paper, and are not water-resistant.
Fold for reuse. Soiled from food or beverages? Compost it. Lots of them good, clean condition? Post for free to local groups, like food pantries, for reuse on sites like FreeCycle, Craigslist, NextDoor, FB Buy Nothing, etc..
For information on Alameda County's Bag Law, click here, or on the California State Bag Law, click here. The City of Berkeley has a separate rule.
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm2Market Farm | 2600 Barbers Point Rd | Alameda | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, dry, folded with intact handles grocery store size only. Leave on the stage inside the farm during listed hours. (100/wk need) | |
| Rocket Reuse | 1355 Park St. | Alameda | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Good condition, folded neatly for reuse from gift bags to grocery bags. Space dependent. | |
| All Good Living Foundation |
All Good Living Store 2332 Alameda Ave |
Alameda | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Drop folded food condition grocery/shopping bags (bags in a bag) off at the AGL Store for community closet materials distribution. | |
| Alameda Food Bank (City of Alameda) | 650 W Ranger Ave | Alameda | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Accepts donations of new, unused bags. | |
| McGee Center for Food Faith And Justice | 1640 Stuart St | Berkeley | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, dry, folded with intact handles in another bag. | |
| Berkeley Recycling Center |
669 Gilman St. (corner of 2nd & Gilman) |
Berkeley | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Berkeley Food Network | 1925 Ninth St | Berkeley | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, usable Reusable Bags with handles for reuse, neatly folded in another bag. Paper, plastic, cloth, etc. accepted. Leftover bag stock (traditional grocery bag size) accepted as well. | |
| Concord/Pleasant Hill Recycling Center | 1320 Galaxy Way | Concord | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center | 7501 Schmidt Ln. | El Cerrito | Recycle | Free Drop-off | Mixed Paper bin | |
| Shred-it | 350 Hatch Drive | Foster City | Recycle | Drop-off for a Fee, Pick-up for a Fee | Does your paper need shredding? You can pay to have your paper picked up and shredded.,Does your paper need shredding? You can pay to have your paper shredded here. | |
| Tri-City Volunteers (TCV) Food Bank & Mobile Pantry | 37350 Joseph St. | Fremont | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, dry, folded with intact handles in another bag. Call to schedule. | |
| Fremont Recycling & Transfer Station | 41149 Boyce Rd. | Fremont | Recycle | Drop-off for a Fee | Separate recyclables and deposit into marked containers at facility | |
| International Paper | 42305 Albrae St. | Fremont | Recycle | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Republic Services, Inc. | 42600 Boyce Road | Fremont | Recycle | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Z-Best Composting Facility | 980 State Hwy. 25 | Gilroy | Compost | Pick-up for a Fee | Commercial composting facility. Food-soiled | |
| Tri-Valley Haven: Haven Food Pantry | 150 N L St | Livermore | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, dry, folded with intact handles in another bag. Call to schedule. | |
| Alameda County Community Food Bank | 7900 Edgewater Dr | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Stock of non-compliant paper bags from stores affected by the Reusable Bag Law can be donated. Call for details. | |
| Village of Love | 490 43rd St | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Clean, dry and folded lunch-bag sized paper bags may be dropped off to be used for the lunch program. | |
| Lake Merritt United Methodist Church | 1255 1st Ave | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Donations of paper lunch bags, sandwich bags, and snack bags accepted for food distribution program | |
| East Bay Depot For Creative Reuse |
4695 Telegraph Ave. (drop-off at loading dock on Shattuck Ave between 46th and 47th streets) |
Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Reuse condition |
| Recycling | Organics | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda |
Collect good condition for reuse. ### |
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| Albany |
Clean and dry. Compost food-soiled paper bags. ### |
Food-soiled. Clean and dry go in recycling. Collect good condition for reuse. ### |
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| Berkeley |
Collect good condition bags for reuse. ### |
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| Castro Valley Sanitary District |
Reuse good condition bags. ### |
Reuse good condition bags. Compost food soiled paper bags. ### |
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| Dublin |
Collect good condition for reuse. If food-soiled, place in compost. ### |
Collect good condition for reuse. If food-soiled, place in compost. ### |
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| Emeryville |
Clean and dry. Compost wet or food-soiled paper bags. ### |
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| Fremont |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Hayward |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Hayward (Oro Loma - L2) |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Livermore |
Collect good condition for reuse ### |
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| Newark |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Oakland |
Reuse as possible. If food-soiled, place in Compost. ### |
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| Piedmont |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Pleasanton |
Reuse as possible. If food-soiled, place in Compost. ### |
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| San Leandro |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3) |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| San Lorenzo (Oro Loma) |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1) |
Collect good condition for reus ### |
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| Union City |
Collect good condition bags for reuse at home, shopping or donation to food pantries. ### |
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