Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto

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Yard Trimmings & Plant Debris

Yard trimmings and plant debris include organic material, such as grass clippings, leaves, twigs, dead flowers, from your backyard or garden.

Removed living lawn/turf AND artifcial turf belongs in the Garbage/Landfill. Leave your unwanted living turf/lawn in place by sheetmulching with compost & mulch and you will be able to plant directly into the sheetmulched area.

Keep finished compost clean by not adding any plastics to the green cart. Finished compost is applied to agriculture and ranch lands to enhance water holding capacity, add nutrients and minerals, and sequester carbon in in soil. You can add compost around the base of plants on top of the soil. Use the LawntoGarden Marketplace for compost & mulch sources.

Too many trimmings for your cart?

  • Leave them out to dry such that you can get more in your cart. Talk to your neighbors and offer space in your carts when they need it for space in their green cart. Contact your curbside hauler about the possibility of buying bag tags to put trimmings in Kraft paper bags (from a hardware store or the hauler). If you regularly need the volume of more than 1 bin, your hauler may be able to provide this for residents for minimal to no cost. Hire lawn and yard service folks to drop them off at the transfer station for you, or drop them off yourself (fees apply).

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
Zanker Road Materials Processing Facility 675 Los Esteros Rd San Jose Compost Drop-off for a Fee Clean/Mixed - lawn clippings, leaves. Not accepted in Organics (considered trash): palm fronds, ivy, or fibrous material
Zanker Road Landfill 705 Los Esteros Road
(north of Zanker Road, one mile north of Zanker and Highway 237)
San Jose Compost Drop-off for a Fee
Z-Best Composting Facility 980 State Hwy. 25 Gilroy Compost Pick-up for a Fee Commercial composting facility
West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill Organics Processing Facility Foot of Parr Blvd. Richmond Compost Drop-off for a Fee Not accepted: bamboo, ivy, palm fronds, lawn sod
Waste Management of Alameda County 172 98th Ave. Oakland Compost Pick-up for a Fee Commercial waste hauling service
Vision Recycling (Newark) 6756 Central Ave Newark Recycle Drop-off for a Fee Not accepted: yucca, agave, palm, poison oak
Vision Recycling (Livermore) 30 Greenville Rd Livermore Recycle Drop-off for a Fee Not accepted: yucca, agave, palm, poison oak
Vision Recycling (Benicia) 1460 Goodyear Rd. Benicia Compost Drop-off for a Fee, Pick-up for a Fee Not accepted: yucca, agave, palm, poison oak
Vasco Road Landfill & Recycling Drop-off 4001 N. Vasco Rd. Livermore Compost Drop-off for a Fee Construction & Demolition
SMaRT Station 301 Carl Rd Sunnyvale Compost Drop-off for a Fee Call for fee information. Please note that the SMaRT Station serves Mountain View and Sunnyvale residents only.
Shoreway Environmental Center (SEC) 333 Shoreway Road San Carlos Compost Drop-off for a Fee
Republic Services, Inc. 42600 Boyce Road Fremont Compost Pick-up for a Fee
Recycling Center & Transfer Station - Contra Costa Waste Service 1300 Loveridge Rd. Pittsburg Compost Drop-off for a Fee
Recology San Francisco Transfer Station Public Recycling and Disposal Drop Off 501 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco Compost Drop-off for a Fee Greenwaste, Brush & Compostables Minimum disposal fee of $50.00 per load applies to all. $219.86 Per Ton
Potrero Hills Landfill 3675 Potrero Hills Lane Suisun City Compost Drop-off for a Fee
Pleasanton Transfer Station 3110 Busch Rd. Pleasanton Compost Drop-off for a Fee Separate for organics drop-off
Oakland Zoo 9777 Golf Links Road Oakland Reuse Free Drop-off Browse should be freshly cut, not dried up and old. If possible, please leave branch length around 5 to 8 feet. No branches over 3 inches in diameter. Drop-offs for small yard trimmings, pickups for large dump truck loads. If you are having a tree company do work at your house, please have the tree company call us directly. Plantlist
Oakland Resident Free Bulky Item Drop Off - Bulky Block Party
7101 Edgewater Dr
Oakland Compost Free Drop-off separated and clean
Newby Island Landfill & Resource Recovery Park 1601 Dixon Landing Rd. Milpitas Compost Drop-off for a Fee No palm fronds or bamboo for organics drop-off.
Marin Resource Recovery Center 565 Jacoby Street San Rafael Compost Drop-off for a Fee

Curbside Service

Organics Bulky Pickup Note
Alameda
Contact hauler for extra residential bags/tags for fee. Yard trimmings will decrease in volume if you let them dry out for a few days (more can fit in your cart).
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Albany
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Berkeley
Residents may also purchase additional pre-paid plant debris bags to place next to cart on regular service day. Limit 10 bags per pickup. Note the Fire Fuel Chipper and Debris Bin Program for Berkeley Hills residents which supports wildfire preparedness efforts.(https://berkeleyca.gov/city-services/trash-recycling/fire-fuel-chipper-and-debris-bin)
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Castro Valley Sanitary District
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Dublin
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Emeryville
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Fremont
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time. Bamboo & Palm fronds go in the trash. Have a lot of palm fronds? Call Republic for a bulky Palm Frond pick up (free).
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Bulky Palm Frond only pick-up (no cost for residents). Call Republic to schedule.
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Hayward
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Hayward (Oro Loma - L2)
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Livermore
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Newark
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Oakland
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Plant debris (paper bagged); Branches (4ft long, 6 in. wide limit). No Rocks, Dirt, Concrete or fiberglass.
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Piedmont
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time. Not accepted in organics: palm fronds, bamboo, ivy
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Pleasanton
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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San Leandro
No palm fronds.
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San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3)
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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San Lorenzo (Oro Loma)
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1)
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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Union City
If your trimmings are too much for your bin, let them dry out a few days or wait until next pick up as the volume decreases over time.
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