San Leandro Residential Recycling Guide -

Alameda County Industries
City of San Leandro

Residential Recycling Guide

What Belongs in the Recyclables?

Paper Products

Any recyclable paper that tears, including:

- magazines, newspapers and junk mail.
- aseptic boxes and dairy cartons.
- corrugated cardboard – Flatten boxes, fold/cut to pieces 2’ x 2’ or smaller, fit pieces loosely to assure the cart will empty properly during service.
- shredded paper (contained in a paper bag or box – but we prefer you put in the green organics bin)

Glass Bottles & Jars

Aluminum & Metal

Including:

scrap pieces, up to 30 lbs. per item.

Plastic Containers Labeled with 1-7
Keep them clean! Scrape, wipe, or rinse before placing in the Recyclables container.

No Plastic Bags
No Film Plastic
No Styrofoam®
No Pressurized Tanks

Put household batteries in a zipper-lock style bag and place on top of your recyclables cart for collection. Put used motor oil in a sealed 1-gallon, screw-top container, and used oil filters in a sealed zipper-lock style bag. Place them next to (not inside) your Recyclables cart. Free oil jugs and oil filter bags may be requested from ACI. No other automotive liquids accepted.

What Belongs in the Organics?

Food Scraps

fruits & vegetables (including peels, pits & rinds)
bread, pasta & other grains
dairy products
egg shells
coffee grounds & tea leaves
meat & bones

Food-Soiled Paper

plates & cups
napkins & towels
coffee filters & tea bags
bags (used to contain/wrap food scraps)
paper takeout containers
newspaper (used to wrap food scraps or line cart)
pizza boxes
shredded paper (use it to soak up liquids and help with odors)
wax paper & wax-coated boxes
wooden chopsticks

Yard Trimmings

flowers
grass clippings
leaves
small branches less than 6” in diameter
weeds

No Glass, Metal, Styrofoam or Plastic
No Aseptic Boxes (Juice, Soup & Soy Milk)
No Dirt, Rock, Concrete, Brick or Treated Wood
No Liquid Fat, Oil or Grease
No Pet Litter or Feces
No Palm Fronds

For your convenience, a green kitchen pail for the collection of food-soiled paper and food scraps is available from ACI. Simply empty the contents of the pail into your green organics cart.

What Belongs in the Garbage?

Non-Recyclable Glass

ceramics & drinking glasses
lightbulbs (no fluorescent)
mirrors & window glass

Non-Recyclable Paper

carbon paper
laminated items
metallic wrapping paper
paper used for cleaning (soiled)
photographs
vacuum bags

Plastics NOT Marked With 1 – 7

6-pack rings (please cut)
plastic film & wrap
plastic plates & utensils
plastic straws & stir sticks
records, tapes & CDs
shower curtain liners
tape (duct, packaging, masking)

Textiles

cotton balls (soiled)
rugs & mats
shoes, clothing & stuffed animals (that cannot be donated)
sponges

Other

balloons (latex & mylar)
clothes hangers
diapers
personal hygiene products
foam & Styrofoam®
hose (garden or rubber)
pet feces (bagged)
plastic bags
rubber bands
toothpaste tubes
toys (try donating first)
wood (painted or stained)

No Organics or Recyclable Materials
No Dirt or Concrete
No Paint, Batteries, Fluorescent Bulbs, Poison, or other Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Before discarding, please consider reusing or donating. Remember: Reduce, Reuse, Rot or Recycle!

San Leandro Municipal Code prohibits the storage of Garbage, Recyclables, or Organics carts in view of a public street except on collection day.

For a comprehensive list of what belongs in your carts, please visit the Publications and Resources page.

PUT HAZARDOUS WASTE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

Hazardous items like pesticides, fertilizers, pool & photo chemicals, paint/varnish, toxic cleaning products, smoke detectors, mercury-containing items (thermometers, CFLs/fluorescent lights, etc.), unwanted medications, and sharps (needles, lancets, etc.) need to be taken to a hazardous waste collection facility. For more information and a list of Alameda County’s disposal locations, please visit StopWaste.org/hhw or call the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste team at 1-800-606-6606.

Proper Set Out

Be sure your carts are at the curb by 6:00 am on your collection day. Log into your account or contact us to find out when we service your area.
Leave the carts at the curb until we’ve emptied them. Our trucks can arrive at different times each week.
Place your carts facing the street with wheels against the curb (if possible).
Leave 3 feet between each cart.
Do not place carts close to parked cars, fire hydrants, low-hanging branches, parking meters, utility poles and other obstacles.
Do not overload your carts. The lids should close completely.
Set overflow recycling in paper grocery bags next to the blue cart. Overflow garbage will not be collected unless you have affixed pre-paid tags to your trash bag. Call ACI to purchase tags or to arrange for additional service.
Do not wedge or compact materials into your carts. Doing so will prevent your cart from being fully emptied when serviced.
Materials from a construction, demolition or landscaping project do not belong in your carts. Call ACI to order a temporary debris box for these items.

On-Call Clean Up Program

San Leandro residents of single-family homes and multi-family complexes, with eight units or less, may schedule a cleanup once per 12-month period at no charge. Contact ACI to determine eligibility and to schedule your cleanup.

Batteries & Latex Paint

Residents may drop off household batteries (A, AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt), at the ACI office. No car batteries allowed. Latex paint is accepted through ACI’s on-call clean up program.

Holiday Collection Schedule

No collection on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Visit our website or check our residential quarterly newsletter for detailed holiday collection schedules.

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Alameda County Industries City of San Leandro