Trash, recycling and compost in Palo Alto

Palo Alto takes its trash seriously. The city adopted a zero waste goal back in 2005. It closed its own landfill in 2011. Today every home has a compost cart for food scraps. If you have moved from a place with one bin for everything, expect a learning curve. Sorting mistakes can show up as notes on your cart or as contamination reports to the city.

This page covers the three carts, what goes in each, the state's organics law known as SB 1383, rates, the twice-yearly Clean Up Days and the hazardous waste station. Garbage service is billed through your monthly city utility bill, which our utilities guide explains.

Who collects your trash

The city's Public Works Department runs the Zero Waste program and sets the rules. The day-to-day hauling is done by GreenWaste of Palo Alto, the city's contracted hauler and processor. GreenWaste handles cart swaps, missed pickups, extra service and Clean Up Day scheduling. City of Palo Alto Utilities bills for the service each month.

• GreenWaste of Palo Alto: (650) 493-4894 or [email protected], weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• City Zero Waste staff: (650) 496-5910 or [email protected] for program questions and hazardous waste.

The three carts

Single-family homes get three carts. Standard sizes are a 32-gallon black garbage cart, a 64-gallon blue recycling cart and a 96-gallon green compost cart. Other sizes are available, as the table shows. The figures come from the city's curbside collection page.

Setting carts out

• Put carts at the curb before 6 a.m. on your collection day.
• Face the front of each cart toward the street.
• Leave at least 2 feet between carts and 5 feet from parked cars.
• Close the lids and do not overfill.
• Bring carts back in within 24 hours of pickup.

Collection happens weekly on a weekday. There is no pickup on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas. When your regular day falls on or after one of those holidays, pickup moves to the next day that week. Friday routes shift to Saturday.

What goes where

When in doubt, check the city's What Goes Where tools or GreenWaste's detailed material guide. These are the rules that trip up newcomers most often.

Blue cart

Clean paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, metal cans and plastic containers go here. Plastic bags and film are accepted in Palo Alto's blue cart, which surprises many people. They must be clean and dry, bundled inside one clear plastic bag knotted at the top so they do not tangle the sorting machines. Foam plastic such as Styrofoam is not recyclable here. Small electronics can go in the blue cart, but TVs and computer monitors cannot.

Green cart

All food scraps belong in the green cart, including meat, dairy, bones, shells, vegetables and grains. So do yard trimmings, food-soiled paper such as pizza boxes and napkins, waxed cardboard and untreated wood. Put compostables in loose or in bags clearly labeled Compostable or BPI certified. Bags marked only biodegradable are not accepted. Extra yard trimmings can sit next to the cart in paper bags, cardboard boxes or bundles no bigger than 2 by 4 feet.

GreenWaste sends the material to the Zero Waste Energy Development Company in San Jose. There it is digested to produce renewable energy and then composted.

Black cart

The garbage cart is for things made of fused materials that cannot be separated, such as chip bags, chewing gum, gloves and drink boxes. Styrofoam blocks, pet waste and diapers also go here. Hazardous items never go in any cart.

SB 1383 and the compost rules

California's Senate Bill 1383 targets methane from organic waste rotting in landfills. Statewide, it set goals to cut organic waste disposal by 75 percent by 2025 and to rescue at least 20 percent of edible food that would otherwise be thrown away. The requirements took effect January 1, 2022. Cities had to begin enforcing them from January 1, 2024.

For residents the main rule is simple. Food scraps, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper must go in the green cart, not the black one. The city's SB 1383 requirements page says collection routes are audited and noncompliance triggers enforcement. The local rule is in the Palo Alto Municipal Code, section 5.20.100. People who haul their own waste must keep organics separate or take them to a high-diversion facility and keep their receipts.

Larger food businesses have extra duties. Supermarkets, large grocery stores and food distributors had to start donating surplus edible food in 2022. Large restaurants, hotels with on-site food service, hospitals and schools followed in 2024. If you run a business, our business registration guide covers the wider set of local rules.

Palo Alto's zero waste program

The city's zero waste effort predates the state law by years. Palo Alto adopted its zero waste goal in 2005. It later banned polystyrene foam food containers and made recycling and composting mandatory for homes and businesses. The old city landfill on the bay closed in 2011 and has been turned into Byxbee Park, a set of grassy hills with trails beside the Baylands Nature Preserve.

The city's most recent Zero Waste Plan dates from 2018 and sets a goal of 95% diversion by 2030. Its Recycling and Composting Ordinance covers apartments and businesses too. Multi-unit buildings must provide recycling and compost containers for residents. If you rent an apartment and only see a garbage bin, ask the property manager or report it through the city's SB 1383 complaint form.

Rates and cart sizes

Your monthly charge is based on the size of your black garbage cart. Recycling and compost carts are part of the service. These single-family rates come from the GreenWaste rate schedule effective July 1, 2026, which also covers multi-unit buildings of up to four units. Check the city's refuse rates page for the current schedule.

The cost doubles from the standard cart to the 64-gallon size, so sorting well has a direct payoff. Households that sort carefully may find the 20-gallon cart is enough. Backyard or side-yard service costs $3.76 a month extra and the schedule limits it to existing customers. Residents with a documented physical limitation can apply to GreenWaste's Physical Limitations Program.

Clean Up Days and bulky items

Each single-family home gets two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year. On those days GreenWaste collects bulky items, excess recyclables, extra yard trimmings, clothing and other items from the curb. Furniture and textiles in good condition are sent to reuse partners where possible. Call GreenWaste with your utility account number to learn your next date. The city's Clean Up Day page links to the details.

Clean Up Day is also the only time you can leave household batteries and used motor oil at the curb. Batteries go in a sealed, clear, tear-resistant bag with the terminals taped. Oil goes in a clear one-gallon container with a screw-top lid. GreenWaste provides the bags and containers free. Lithium batteries are never accepted at the curb.

Outside Clean Up Day

You can book a bulky pickup on your regular service day for a fee by calling at least a week ahead. Selected charges from the July 1, 2026 schedule:

• Mattress: $15.45
• Upholstered furniture: $15.45 per piece
• Stove, washer, dryer or water heater: $25.75
• Refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner: $41.20
• Tires: $20.60 each, up to four

Apartment residents who do not get their own city refuse bill should ask their property manager to schedule a Clean Up Day for the complex.

Holiday trees

For four weeks after Christmas, GreenWaste collects trees from the curb next to your green cart. Remove the stand and all decorations, do not use flocked trees and cut trunks into 4-foot lengths. Our holiday season guide covers the rest of December in town.

Household hazardous waste

Paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, fluorescent tubes, propane cylinders and other hazardous items must go to the city's Household Hazardous Waste Station at 2501 Embarcadero Way, near the Baylands. According to the city's hazardous waste page:

• The station is open every Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. and the first Friday of each month from 3 to 5 p.m.
• It serves Palo Alto residents. Bring a driver's license or vehicle registration as proof of residency.
• You may bring up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per trip, in containers of 5 gallons or less.
• Stay in your car. Staff unload items from your trunk.
• Holiday closures listed for the coming months include November 28, 2026, December 26, 2026 and January 1 and 2, 2027.

The station also takes lithium and lithium-ion batteries, LED bulbs, medications other than controlled substances, cooking oil, fire extinguishers and household sharps in a rigid sealed container. It does not take TVs, monitors, ammunition, fireworks or treated wood. Residents who cannot get to the station because of a physical limitation can apply for at-home pickup with a doctor's signature by calling (650) 496-5910.

Frequently asked questions