Understanding Trash and Recycling Collection Schedules in San Jose, California

San Jose, the largest city in Northern California, provides weekly garbage and recycling collection services to over 1 million residents. This article will explain the collection schedule, rules, and guidelines that residents should follow to ensure their trash and recycling is picked up properly each week.

Collection Days and Hours

• Garbage, recycling, and yard trimmings are collected once per week on your designated collection day.

• Collection occurs Monday through Friday from 6am to 6pm.

• Service does not occur on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. If your regular collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, service that week will be delayed by one day.

You can look up your specific collection day by searching your address on the San Jose Garbage and Recycling Lookup.

Curbside Setout Rules

To ensure your trash and recycling are collected properly, the city has established guidelines for curbside setout:

• Place all carts at the curb by 6am on your collection day. Do not set carts out the night before.

• Position carts side-by-side in the street, with wheels against the curb. Keep carts 2 feet apart from each other.

• Make sure cart lids are completely closed. Overfilled carts with open lids may spill into the street.

• Keep carts at least 5 feet away from parked cars, basketball hoops, yard waste piles, and other obstructions.

• Avoid blocking bike lanes, red curbs, or other restricted street areas.

Cart Size and Weight Limits

San Jose provides residents with garbage, recycling, and yard trimmings carts in 32, 64, or 96 gallon sizes. Each cart size has a maximum weight limit:

Cart Size	Weight Limit
32 gallon	100 lbs
64 gallon	175 lbs
96 gallon	250 lbs

If your cart routinely exceeds these weight limits, you may need to request a larger cart size. Call (408) 535-3500 to upgrade your cart.

Extra Trash Policies

While recycling collection is unlimited in San Jose, there are specific guidelines for extra garbage:

• Place excess garbage in 32-gallon plastic bags labeled with an “extra garbage sticker.” Stickers cost $6.25 and can be purchased at San Jose libraries, Lucky supermarkets, and Safeway stores.

• Extra garbage bags can weigh up to 60 lbs each. More than 1 extra bag may be set out as long as each has a sticker.

• Position extra garbage bags next to carts at the curb on collection day.

If you frequently have extra garbage, consider upgrading to a larger cart size instead of using stickers each week.

Missed Pickups

If your trash or recycling is not collected by 6pm on your scheduled day, report the missed pickup right away:

• Call (408) 535-3500

• Submit a report online at www.sanjoseca.gov/311

• Use San Jose’s free 311 mobile app

This will dispatch a truck to collect your materials as soon as possible. For next day collection, missed pickups must be reported by 7pm.

Large Item Collection

To dispose of large household items like furniture and appliances, San Jose offers free junk pickup service. Up to 3 large items can be collected per pickup. To schedule:

• Call (408) 535-3500

• Submit a request online at www.sanjoseca.gov/311

• Use the 311 mobile app

Large items should be placed at the curb by 6am on your requested collection day. Mattresses must be wrapped in plastic before setout.

Holiday Trees

After Christmas, holiday trees are collected as part of the weekly yard trimmings collection. Remove all decorations, lights, and stands before setting trees out curbside. Flocked trees cannot be composted and must be cut into 4-foot lengths, placed in your garbage cart, and set out on your normal garbage day.

Moving In or Out

If you are moving into or out of a San Jose home, you can request temporary trash and recycling service or cart delivery:

• Call (408) 945-5908

• Email [email protected]

Provide your name, service address, phone number and moving date. Temporary service and cart delivery typically takes 1-2 business days.

More Recycling and Garbage Resources

For additional information on trash and recycling collection in San Jose, visit:

• Garbage and Recycling Page – Overview of residential and business services

• Collection Setouts Page – Curbside setout guidelines

• Missed Pickup Page – How to report missed collections

• Extra Garbage Page – Requirements for excess trash

Following these guidelines will help ensure convenient hassle-free trash and recycling collection service from the City of San Jose. Contact the Department of Environmental Services at (408) 945-3000 with any other questions.