Residential Service Guide
Help us provide safe & efficient service
- Properly sort your materials — it makes a difference!
- Place your carts out with wheels against the curb prior to 6am on your service day.
- Please do not place carts in bike lanes.
- Leave 3 feet of space between your carts if possible.
- Do not place your carts too close to obstacles.
- Prevent litter. Use a bag/box to contain small, lightweight items before placing them in any of your carts.
- Do not overload your carts and make sure the lids fully close.
- Dispose of large amounts of liquid fat, oil & grease responsibly. For information on proper disposal, visit StopWaste.org/hhw or call 1-800-606-6606.
Proper sorting makes a difference!
Put Recyclables in the blue cart.
PAPER PRODUCTS
- corrugated cardboard & paper boxes — large or multiple pieces should be flattened and/or cut.
- hard cover books — up to 40 lbs.
- juice, soup & soy milk boxes
- junk mail, catalogs & phone books
- magazines & newspapers
- shredded paper — contain in a paper bag or box
GLASS BOTTLES & JARS
Remove lids.
ALUMINUM & METAL
- aerosol cans — empty
- food and soda cans
- scrap metal — pieces up to 40 lbs.
PLASTIC CONTAINERS
- bottles, jars & tubs labeled #1-#7
- plastic bags — BAG-IN-BAG: When recycling multiple plastic bags, stuff one bag full of the others; tie off the full bag before placing in the recyclables. Single bags belong in the garbage. Protect the environment by refusing/reusing single-use bags.
E-WASTE PERIPHERALS
Please removed batteries first.
- desktop speakers, keyboards, mice & modems
HOUSEHOLD TEXTILE RECYCLING
During the first week of every January, April, July, October, gently used household textiles (sheets, towels, etc.) and clothing will be collected and donated to a local charity. Items should be clean and placed in a tightly tied clear bag next to the recyclables cart on your collection day. Receipts not provided.
— NO FOOD, FOOD-SOILED PAPER, OR PIZZA BOXES
— ITEMS MUST BE CLEAN & DRY
— PLEASE SCRAPE, WIPE OR RINSE CONTAINERS
Put Organics in the green cart.
FOOD SCRAPS
Fresh, frozen, cooked & moldy.
- bread, rice, pasta, cereals & grains
- coffee grounds & tea leaves
- dairy products
- eggshells
- fruits & vegetables
- meat & bones
- nuts & shells
- pits, peels, skins & rinds
FOOD-SOILED PAPER
- coffee filters
- newspaper – used to line kitchen pail
- paper bags
- paper plates & cups (not plastic lined)
- paper take out boxes (not plastic lined)
- paper tea bags
- paper towels & napkins
- pizza boxes
- waxed paper & wax-coated boxes
- wooden chopsticks & utensils
YARD TRIMMINGS
- flowers
- grass clippings
- leaves
- small branches – less than 6 inches in diameter
UNTREATED WOOD
- dimensional lumber less than 2 feet long — free of nails/hardware, paint, varnish, glue, & other chemicals
USE THE HANDY KITCHEN PAIL TO REDUCE WASTE!
Line it with newspaper, paper bags, or paper towels to help keep it clean. Empty it as needed into your green Organics cart. Rinse or wash with warm soapy water.
PLEASE DO NOT OVERLOAD CARTS — LIDS MUST CLOSE
NO DIRT, SOD, ROCK, CONCRETE OR BRICK
Put Garbage in the grey cart.
NON-RECYCLABLE GLASS
- ceramic & Pyrex®
- incandescent light bulbs — NO FLUORESCENT, CFL, or LED
- kitchenware — dishes, bowls, cups, etc.
- mirror, tempered, & window glass
NON-RECYCLABLE PAPER
- dryer sheets
- laminated items
- metallic/embellished wrapping paper
- paper used from cleaning — not food-soiled
- photographs
- vacuum bags
PLASTICS NOT MARKED WITH #1-#7
- 6-pack rings — please cut
- plastic cups, plates & utensils
- plastic film, wrap & single plastic bags
- plastic straws & stir sticks
- records, tapes & CDs
- snack packaging
- Styrofoam®
OTHER
- balloons — latex & mylar
- clothes hangers (plastic & metal)
- diapers & wipes
- hose — garden or rubber
- personal hygiene products
- pet feces & litter — bagged
- rubber bands
- shoes, clothing, textiles, rugs & mats
- sponges
- toothpaste tubes
- toys
- wood — stained, painted, & sealed (PLEASE NOTE: Treated wood waste (wood that has been treated with chemical preservatives) is considered HAZARDOUS WASTE and is not accepted.
REMEMBER, IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO REUSE, RECYCLE, COMPOST OR DONATE THAN TO DUMP IN THE LANDFILL!
NO RECYCLABLES OR ORGANICS
NO CONSTRUCTION OR DEMOLITION MATERIALS
Click here for a downloadable/printable version of this page in English.
PUT HAZARDOUS WASTE IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Hazardous waste does not belong in any Livermore Sanitation cart or bin. Pesticides, fertilizers, pool & photo chemicals, paint, varnish, toxic cleaning products, smoke detectors, mercury-containing items (thermometers, CFLs/fluorescent lights, etc.), unwanted medications, sharps (needles, lancets, etc.), and wood that has been treated with chemical preservatives require special handling. For information about proper disposal of these items and Alameda County’s free drop-off facility located in Livermore, visit StopWaste.org/hhw or call 1-800-606-6606.
Curbside collection includes:
USED COOKING OIL & MOTOR OIL/FILTERS COLLECTION
Contact us to arrange free delivery of used oil jugs & filter bags.
- Place in separate (oils cannot be mixed) 1-gallon, or smaller, sealed screw-top containers less than 12″ in height. Place used oil filters in a sealed zipper-lock style bag. No other automotive liquids accepted.
- Place full jugs & bags on the curb (not in the gutter) next to (not inside) your blue cart on collection day. Limit of one gallon used motor oil and one container of used cooking oil per household per week.
HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES, CELLPHONES & ACCESSORIES COLLECTION
Place inside clear zipper-lock bags (keep batteries and cellphones /accessories separate).
- Place tape on the positive terminals of the batteries and place inside a clear zipper-lock style bag.
- Leave bags on top of your closed blue cart lid (not inside) on collection day.
ON-CALL CLEANUP PROGRAM
Three times every 12 months, at no additional charge, residents of single-family homes and multiplex buildings (4-units or less) may schedule the pickup of:
- One appliance OR e-waste item,
- One furniture item (weighing less than 150 lbs.),
- AND up to 3-cubic yards of garbage (no larger than 9 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high.) Contain, box or bundle multiple/small/loose items.
Contact us or click here for more On-Call Cleanup Program information.
Additional collection services:
FEES APPLY — CLICK HERE FOR RATES.
- Request an additional pickup of one or more of your carts (excluding 20-gallon garbage carts).
- Purchase an extra Kraft bag for additional yard trimmings.
- Bins of various sizes are available for construction, demolition, landscaping, and other projects.
- Additional items not collected through the On-Call Cleanup program can also be collected.