San Jose

Customer Service
Hello, San Jose!

Omar Lopez
General Manager
GreenWaste proudly provides the City of San Jose with yard trimmings collection and processing. The yard trimmings GreenWaste collects is composted into a nutrient-rich compost used for regenerative agriculture and landscaping.
Yard Trimmings
Street Sweeping
Garbage and Recycling
Yard Trimmings Collection
Yard trimmings are collected weekly from residential homes, mobile home parks, and participating condos and apartments. Collection varies by complex. Contact your property manager for details.
GreenWaste offers two ways to collect yard trimmings:
- Place your yard trimmings loose in the street (no extra charge).
- Place your yard trimmings in your optional yard trimmings cart for collection. Visit sanjoseca.gov/311, dial 3-1-1, or call (408) 535-3500 to order a yard trimmings cart and start your yard trimmings subscription. Yard trimmings carts are mandatory in some areas of the city for yard trimmings collection.
All yard trimmings collected in the City of San Jose are brought to the GreenWaste Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in San Jose.
Yard Trimmings Setout Guidelines
Follow these simple guidelines when setting out your yard trimmings:
- Piles should be 5 x 5 ft. or less and be placed at least 1 foot from the curb and 5 feet from carts, cars, and additional piles.
- Carts and piles should be kept out of bike lanes and red-curbed areas.
- Branches should be less than 5 feet long and smaller than 6 inches in diameter.
- Do not obstruct access to the yard trimmings pile, such as parking your vehicle on or near it.
- Do not place yard trimmings piles out more than 24 hours before collection day.
- Sweep up and place remaining debris in the garbage cart. Remaining yard trimmings can be saved for the next collection day or composted at home.
Property managers and owners employing landscape contractors are responsible for ensuring setout instructions are followed.
Accepted Material: | Unaccepted Material: |
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Street Sweeping Services
Residential streets are swept once a month between 7 AM and 5 PM on the day after garbage collection.
Street sweeping protects our environment by removing pollutants from the street where they can enter storm drains, creeks, and our Bay, and harm fish and wildlife.
Garbage and Recycling Services
Did you know that GreenWaste processes most of the material produced in San Jose at our MRF? While GreenWaste collects only yard trimmings material from your home, your recyclables and garbage are likely sorted for recovery in our facility.
For information about garbage and recycling services visit the City of San Jose website.
Need sorting guidance? Check out SanJoseRecycles.org or view the San Jose Residential and Garbage Recycling Guide.
Services for residential homes with cart service for garbage are billed through the Santa Clara County Secured Property Tax Bill.
Services for residential homes with cart service for garbage are billed through the Santa Clara County Secured Property Tax Bill.
Material Processing and Recovery
San Jose resident’s garbage and yard trimmings are processed at the GreenWaste San Jose Material Recovery Facility. Learn more about what happens to your recycling and garbage.

Mixed Compostables
Garbage from San Jose residents is processed at the GreenWaste San Jose Material Recovery Facility, where organic material is diverted for composting directly from the black cart.
Learn More

Recyclables
Some of the City of San Jose’s recyclables are brought to the GreenWaste San Jose Material Recovery Facility where they are sorted into their commodity type and then reintroduced into the supply chain.
Learn More

Yard Trimmings
Yard trimmings are transformed into organic compost.
Learn More
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