San Francisco Trash Pickup & Garbage Schedule 2026

San Francisco’s Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance requires residents and businesses to separate recyclables and compostables and keep them out of the landfill. In practice, that means using three separate Recology streams: landfill, recycling and compost. Residential service is weekly, and the same address lookup tool can confirm your regular collection day.

How to Find Your San Francisco Trash Pickup Day (Fast Lookup)

San Francisco uses an address-based Recology collection calendar. This is the most accurate way to see your regular service day and to confirm whether a holiday week changes it.

1. Open the official calendar. Go to Recology San Francisco Collection Calendar.
2. Enter your exact address. Use your service address in San Francisco, not just the neighborhood name.
3. Check your regular weekly day. Recology uses the same tool to confirm trash, recycling and compost collection.
4. Review holiday weeks. If your service lands around New Year’s Day or Christmas Day, also check the official holiday calendar.
5. Save the day. Set a reminder because pickup times can vary week to week.

San Francisco Trash Pickup Schedule: What Runs When

Recology’s San Francisco residential service is built around a weekly three-bin system. City ordinance requires a minimum of once-per-week service for all accounts, and most routine residential service follows that weekly pattern.

San Francisco Environment also says residents receive recycling and composting service with landfill service as part of the regular residential setup. That is why the most important household habit is proper sorting, not deciding whether you have recycling service at all.

San Francisco Black, Blue, and Green Bin System

San Francisco’s three-bin system separates materials into landfill, recycling and compost. That structure is the backbone of the city’s zero-waste program.

San Francisco Environment says residents should place recyclables in the blue bin and compostables in the green bin. Recology also notes that yard and green waste is collected from the green cart on the regular collection day.

San Francisco Set-Out Rules

Recology does not publish one fixed morning time for every regular residential route because service times can vary. The safest rule is to place your bins out the night before your service day.

• Put bins out the night before your service day. Recology says pickup times can vary from week to week depending on traffic, route changes and driver schedules.
• Place carts as close to the curb as possible.
• Keep lids closed. Overfilled or improperly set out bins are more likely to be missed.
• Make sure the service area is accessible. Vehicles, debris boxes and blocked driveways can prevent collection.
• Pull bins in soon after they are collected.

San Francisco Bulky Item Pickup

For large items that do not fit in your bins, San Francisco uses Recology’s curbside Bulky Item Collection program. This is the correct option for furniture, mattresses, appliances and similar oversized items.

Common bulky items include:

• Furniture
• Mattresses
• Appliances
• Books and clothing
• Carpets, toilets and many other large household items accepted by Recology

1. Check your eligibility. Buildings with 5 units or fewer get two no-charge collections per year. Each unit in buildings with 6 or more units is eligible for one no-charge collection per year.
2. Schedule the appointment. Use the official request page or call 415-330-1300.
3. Plan ahead. Recology says to call at least two weeks before you are ready to get rid of bulky items.
4. Know the item limit. Recology allows up to 10 items per collection appointment.
5. Set items out correctly. Place items at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the day before and no later than 6 a.m. on the appointment day, and attach a sign that reads RECOLOGY.

San Francisco 2026 Holiday Trash Schedule

Recology San Francisco says drivers service normally on all listed 2026 holidays except New Year’s Day and Christmas Day. Those are the only two holidays that create a collection delay.

If your regular service lands on or after New Year’s Day or Christmas Day, Recology says bins are picked up on the following day that week only.

What to Do If San Francisco Missed Your Pickup

If your bins were not collected, Recology says to first confirm that your address, service day and bin setup are correct. After that, customer service should be contacted directly.

1. Check your address schedule. Confirm your regular collection day using the calendar tool.
2. Review the holiday calendar. Only New Year’s Day and Christmas Day shift service in 2026.
3. Confirm access and placement. Make sure the cart was at the curb, lids were closed, no vehicle blocked access, and no debris box blocked the service area.
4. Wait if needed. Recology notes that collection sometimes runs later because of traffic or route changes.
5. Report the miss. Email customerservice@recologySF.com or call 415-330-1300 and specify which bins were missed.

San Francisco Transfer Station and Extra Drop-Off Options

When curbside service is not enough, Recology and San Francisco Environment provide several official drop-off options for special items, bulky waste and hazardous materials.

Frequently Asked Questions About San Francisco Trash Pickup

Official San Francisco Trash Collection Resources

Reminder: In San Francisco, the hardest part is usually not the pickup day. It is sorting the right material into the right bin. If you do that and check the calendar around New Year’s Day and Christmas, your curbside service is usually straightforward.