Welcome to the City's Zero Waste Programs & Services

Berkeley has a longstanding commitment to reducing and ultimately eliminating/diverting the waste that goes to landfills.
The City established one of the first municipal recycling programs in the nation.

NEW! Cart Set Out Location Guide for Garbage, Recycling and Yard Waste

The City has introduced new 1-person automated waste collection trucks for operation on many of our residential routes. These new collection vehicles have greater efficiency and capacity than the existing equipment.

The Public Works Zero Waste Division has designed a residential cart set-out guide to assist customers with the proper set-out location of their carts for collection. Residents with exemptions, as referenced in BMC Section 12.34.040, do not have to place their carts in the gutter.

The set-out guide (download the full-color version here!) will notify customers about the new service and cart location. The guide is scheduled to be mailed starting November 9, 2012 to all City residential refuse customers, and will also be made available at City libraries and distributed to neighborhood and community associations.

NEW! Alameda County Reuseable Bag Ordinance

On January 1, 2013 the Alameda County Reusable Bag Ordinance becomes effective, which covers Berkeley and all other cities in the county. The ordinance bans single-use plastic check-out bags at packaged food stores, and requires a 10¢ fee on each paper bag distributed. The ordinance’s goal is to promote reusable bags whenever possible. Please visit the Alameda County Waste Authority’s Reusable Bag website: http://reusablebagsac.org/ for more information - and start helping today by remembering to bring your reusable bags whenever you shop.  

Refuse & Recycling services provided by the City include:

• Residential and commercial refuse and recyclables collection/disposal
• Residential and commercial food and green waste collection
• Recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste
• Bulky-item pickups, and debris box containers
• Self-haul disposal facility at the Transfer Station, located at 1201 Second Street
• Clean Cities Program (neighborhood clean-ups, street sweeping, etc.)

Zero Waste Programs & Services

• Collection Schedule & Services Information
• Start Service, Change Service
• Refuse Rates
• Billing, Payments & Disputes
• Residential Street Sweeping Program
• Clean City Program
• Solid Waste Management Plan Update - Background Reports

Recycling

• Berkeley Recycling Service
  • Recycling Services for Commercial Properties, including Food Waste & Organics
  • Recycling Services for Residential Properties - Single Family & Apartments
• Berkeley Transfer Station
• Construction & Demolition Recycling
• Oil Recycling & Household Hazardous Materials
• Residential Plant Debris, Food Waste & Home Composting

• Dumpster (Roll-off/Bin) Service
• Services Available During Holidays
• Bulky Waste Pickup
• Universal Waste - Battery and Bulb Recycling (pdf) (see additional information from the City's Toxics Management Division)
• Catalog Choice, a convenient way to prevent waste: Berkeley residents and businesses can take advantage of a free online service to opt out of unwanted catalogs, advertising mail pieces, and phone books. For more information, go to Catalog Choice at: Berkeley.catalogchoice.org/.
  
  
  
  

• For additional information or questions, please contact Customer Service staff.
  • Customer Service phone staff are available Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at (510) 981-7270.
  • The City's Customer Service Center is open Monday - Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• You may also send your comments about any of our programs and services by email to PWRecycle@CityofBerkeley.info.