Alameda County Industries
City of Alameda
Residential Recycling Guide
What Belongs in the Recyclables?
paper products
• aseptic boxes (juice, soup & soy milk)
• dairy cartons
• catalogs, magazines & phone books
• corrugated cardboard & paper boxes
(large or multiple pieces should be flattened and/or cut)
• junk mail
• newspaper (including inserts)
• shredded paper (contained in a paper bag or box)
glass bottles & jars
• please remove lids and caps and recycle
aluminum & metal
• food & beverage cans
• aerosol cans (empty)
• paint cans (empty & dry only)
• pots & pans
• scrap pieces (up to 30 pounds per item)
plastics labeled 1 – 7
• bottles & jars
• tubs & trays
No Plastic Bags
No Film Plastic
No Styrofoam®
No Pressurized Tanks
Have Extra Cardboard?
Extra cardboard will be collected curbside if it is flattened, cut down to pieces no larger than 2 feet by 3 feet, and stacked next to your blue recyclables cart. (Pieces larger than 2 feet by 3 feet will not fit in the hopper of the collection vehicle and will not be picked up.)
Used Motor Oil* & Filters: In 1-gallon, or smaller, sealed screw-top containers. Used oil filters in a sealed zipper-locked-style bag. Place next to (not inside) your Recyclables cart. Free oil jugs and oil filter bags may be requested and delivered from ACI. No other automotive liquids are accepted.
Used Cooking Oil* Collection: In separate (oils cannot be mixed) 1-gallon, or smaller, sealed screw-top containers. Place next to (not inside) your Organics cart. Free oil jugs may be requested and delivered from ACI.
*3 total gallons per week can be collected.
ACI will collect household batteries placed in a zipper-style bag on top of (not inside) your blue Recyclables collection cart. Please tape the terminals on the batteries before placing them in the bag. No automotive batteries are allowed.
What Belongs in the Organics?
food scraps
• fruits & vegetables (including peels, pits & rinds)
• bread, pasta & other grains
• dairy products
• egg shells
• coffee grounds & tea leaves
• meat & bones
food-soiled paper
• plates & cups
• napkins & towels
• coffee filters & tea bags
• bags (used to contain/wrap food scraps)
• paper takeout containers
• newspaper (used to wrap food scraps or line cart)
• pizza boxes
• wax paper & wax-coated boxes
• wooden chopsticks
yard trimmings
• flowers
• grass clippings
• leaves
• small branches less than 6” in diameter
• weeds
No Glass, Metal, Styrofoam or Plastic
No Aseptic Boxes (Juice, Soup & Soy Milk)
No Dirt, Rock, Concrete, Brick or Treated Wood
No Liquid Fat, Oil or Grease
No Pet Litter or Feces
No Palm Fronds
For your convenience, a green kitchen pail for the collection of food-soiled paper and food scraps is available from ACI. Simply empty the contents of the pail into your green organics cart.
Extra yard trimming bags can be placed next to your organics cart on collection date (only ACI bags are accepted, contact us to purchase).
What Belongs in the Garbage?
non-recyclable glass
• ceramics & drinking glasses
• lightbulbs (no fluorescent)
• mirrors & window glass
non-recyclable paper
• carbon paper
• laminated items
• metallic wrapping paper
• paper used for cleaning (soiled)
• photographs
• vacuum bags
plastics NOT marked with 1 – 7
• 6-pack rings (please cut)
• plastic film & wrap
• plastic plates & utensils
• plastic straws & stir sticks
• records, tapes & CDs
• shower curtain liners
• tape (duct, packaging, masking)
textiles
• cotton balls (soiled)
• rugs & mats
• shoes, clothing & stuffed animals (that cannot be donated)
• sponges
other
• balloons (latex & mylar)
• clothes hangers
• diapers
• personal hygiene products
• foam & Styrofoam®
• hose (garden or rubber)
• pet feces (bagged)
• plastic bags
• rubber bands
• toothpaste tubes
• toys (try donating first)
• wood (painted or stained)
No Organics or Recyclable Materials
No Dirt or Concrete
No Paint, Batteries, Fluorescent Bulbs, Poison, or other Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Before discarding, please consider reusing or donating. Remember: Reduce, Reuse, Rot or Recycle!
PUT HAZARDOUS WASTE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
Hazardous items like pesticides, fertilizers, pool & photo chemicals, paint/varnish, toxic cleaning products, smoke detectors, mercury-containing items (thermometers, CFLs/fluorescent lights, etc.), wood treated with preservatives, unwanted medications, and sharps (needles, lancets, etc.) need to be taken to a hazardous waste collection facility. For more information and a list of Alameda County’s disposal locations, please visit StopWaste.org/hhw or call the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste team at 1-800-606-6606.
Proper Set Out
• Be sure your carts are at the curb by 6:00 am on your collection day. Log into your account or contact us to find out when we service your area.
• Leave the carts at the curb until we’ve emptied them. Our trucks may arrive at different times each week.
• Place your carts facing the street.
• Carts need to be placed with space between them so that the automated truck arm can
service them properly. If possible, try to leave 3 feet between each cart.
• Do not place carts close to parked cars, fire hydrants, low-hanging branches, parking meters, utility poles and other obstacles.
• Do not overload your carts. The lids should close completely.
• Overflow garbage will only be collected if you have affixed pre-paid tags to your trash bag. Call ACI to purchase tags or to arrange for additional service.
• Do not wedge or compact materials into your carts. Doing so will prevent your cart from being fully emptied when serviced.
• Materials from a construction, demolition or landscaping project do not belong in your carts. Call ACI to order a temporary debris box for these items.
On-Call Clean Up Program
Alameda residents of single-family homes and multiplex buildings (with 4 units or less) may schedule an annual on-call clean up to discard overflow waste and recyclable materials. This service is available at no charge, once per 12-month period. Visit the ACI On-Call Clean Up Page for more information.
Batteries & Bulbs
Residents may drop off household batteries (A, AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) and fluorescent bulbs at the ACI Alameda office. Car batteries are NOT allowed.
Curbside Household Battery Collection
ACI will collect household batteries in a zipper-style bag placed on top of (NOT inside) your blue Recyclables collection cart. Please tape the terminals on the batteries. No automotive batteries are allowed.
Holiday Collection Schedule
No collection on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Click here or check our residential quarterly newsletter for detailed holiday collection schedules.
Contact Us
Call: 510-483-1400
Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 7am-6pm
Location: 2307 Blanding Avenue, Suite B
Alameda, CA 94501
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