Recology San Mateo County is pleased to offer a variety of other services beyond the three carts to our single family residential customers. Please keep reading for important information on our programs.

All batteries and cell phones are considered Universal Waste once discarded. They contain heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when they are improperly disposed of. This includes all battery sizes: AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9 Volt, and all others, both rechargeable and single use. However, batteries and cell phones can be safely recycled.

With button batteries taped to paper, place them all in a sealed plastic bag on top of your blue Recycle cart for collection. We will take them away for you and safely, properly recycle them. Please be sure to place the sealed bag on top of your blue cart, not inside it.

You can also recycle your old cell phone. Just wrap it in paper and place in the sealed plastic bag along with your batteries.

Most Walgreens, Whole Foods and Radio Shack's also accept old batteries and cell phones for recycling. We advise you to check with your local store first before you go.

You can also find more information at FlowsToBay.com.

Just one quart of motor oil that is disposed of improperly can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of fresh water! We are pleased to provide a curbside collection of used oil and filters at no cost. Once requested, we'll provide you with up to five one-gallon plastic jugs for your used motor oil and up to five zippered plastic bags for your used oil filters.

Simply leave the filled jugs and bags beside your blue Recycle cart when you put it out for service and we'll pick it up for you.

Twice a year, Recology offers a scheduled pickup service for items you don't want or need anymore at no additional charge.

Visit our Bulky Item Pick Up page for more information.

Before contacting us to schedule a pick-up, please consider donating to any number of local non-profits and community groups. This can reduce the waste stream and provide a second life for the items you are discarding. Please visit our Don't Toss It page for a list of organizations.

Once you've removed all the tinsel, lights, decorations and stands from your holiday tree, you can leave the tree next to your green compost cart, and we will pick it up for you between December 26 and January 31.

Please make sure trees are 8 feet and under. If it's taller than 8 feet, cut the tree into lengths of 8 feet or less.

We host an annual "Bring Your Own Bucket", or "BYOB" days to give away nutrient rich compost. Residents are welcome to take home a free bucket of compost to help enrich their gardens while learning about the benefits of home composting.

We will also host a confidential destruction event once a year to help you destroy sensitive documents thoroughly and discreetly. Look for information on this website for dates and locations coming soon.

Household Hazardous Waste and Universal Waste, including Electronic Waste, are rapidly growing problems that account for significant amounts of toxic waste in landfills. They are illegal to put into the trash or pour down a drain or gutter because they will contaminate the soil, drinking water and air. Items such as electronics, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, paints, pesticides, cleaning products, medications and other chemicals are illegal to put in the trash.

To learn how to legally, safely and properly dispose of these and other items, visit our Household Hazardous Waste page.

Several communities within the SBWMA service area now have a Door to Door Hazardous Household Waste program offered at no extra charge. Visit RethinkWaste for more information.

Please see our FAQ page for answers!

Language Assistance:
We offer a free Language Line with over 170 different languages through our Customer Service Department. Please contact us for more information.

You can also visit RecycleWorks of San Mateo County for general recycling and waste reduction information.

Recology San Mateo County provides recycling, compost and garbage collection services to the 12 Member Agencies in the RethinkWaste service area.