A public resource guide
Every legitimate way to get rid of furniture, appliances, mattresses, and bulk waste in San Francisco, including FREE Recology Bulky Item pickup (2 per year SFH, 1 per year per unit apartment), the mandatory RECOLOGY sign rule, 100-lb item weight limit, three-cart sorting law, weekly recycling, and what to do when paid hauling isn't an option.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
San Francisco runs a uniquely structured Recology system: free curbside Bulky Item Recycling by appointment via Recology, 2 pickups per year for residential customers (buildings with 5 units or fewer), 1 pickup per year per unit for apartment dwellers in 6+ unit buildings. Up to 10 items per appointment, no item over 100 lbs. The crucial detail: each item must be tagged with a sign that reads "RECOLOGY", without the sign, crews don't know what to take. Schedule at least 2 weeks in advance via (415) 330-1300, customerservice@recologysf.com, or the online Bulky Item Recycling Form. Tenants in apartments can schedule directly without going through landlords. SF's recycling is collected WEEKLY, unusual nationally where biweekly is standard. Composting has been mandatory since 2009 (one of the most successful urban organics programs in the U.S.). NO Styrofoam in any cart, drop off at Recology SF Transfer Station for densifier processing. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
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San Francisco residents have free Recology Bulky Item Recycling by appointment (2/year for SFH, 1/year per unit for apartment dwellers), free weekly trash, free WEEKLY single-stream recycling (rare nationally), MANDATORY free weekly composting (in place since 2009 for residential), free HHW disposal at the Recology SF Transfer Station, free Styrofoam densifier drop-off at the Transfer Station, free Christmas tree pickup, and donation pickup programs. Service is provided by Recology under contract with the City and County of San Francisco. The three Recology operating companies are Recology Sunset Scavenger, Recology Golden Gate, and Recology SF.
Free Recology Bulky Item Recycling (by appointment)
Free, 2/year SFHRecology provides free curbside Bulky Item Recycling by appointment. Single-family homes and small buildings (5 units or fewer) get 2 pickups per year. Apartment dwellers (6+ unit buildings) get 1 pickup per year per unit. Tenants can schedule directly. Each item must be tagged with a "RECOLOGY" sign, without the sign, crews don't know what to collect.
Eligibility: All SF residential customers with active Recology Sunset Scavenger or Recology Golden Gate accounts. Apartment tenants can schedule directly, no landlord intermediary needed.
Frequency: 2 pickups per year for SFH and buildings 5 units or fewer. 1 pickup per year per unit for buildings 6+ units.
Per-appointment limit: Up to 10 items per appointment.
Weight limit: Items over 100 lbs are NOT accepted. Heavier items require self-haul or paid service.
Cost: Free for the annual allotment. Additional pickups beyond the allotment may be available for a fee.
How to schedule: Submit Bulky Item Recycling Form online OR call (415) 330-1300 OR email customerservice@recologysf.com. Call at least 2 weeks in advance.
Set-out time: Place items at curb after 6 PM the day before, by 6 AM the day of pickup. Do NOT block the sidewalk.
CRITICAL: RECOLOGY sign: Attach a sign that reads "RECOLOGY" to each item so crews know what to collect. Without the sign, crews may pass items by.
Cancellation: Must be given by 12 PM the business day before scheduled pickup. Call (415) 330-1300 or email customerservice@recologysf.com.
Combine pickups (SFH only): Single-family home residents may combine both annual pickups for up to 20 items depending on availability.
Free Weekly Recycling (rare nationally)
Free, weeklySan Francisco's recycling is collected WEEKLY, unusual nationally where biweekly is standard for most major cities. All three carts (black landfill, blue recycling, green compost) are collected on the same day, once per week.
Frequency: WEEKLY, same day as trash and compost. Most major U.S. cities offer biweekly recycling.
Three-cart system: Black (landfill), blue (recycling), green (compost). Sorting is mandatory under city ordinance.
How to set out: Items loose, dry, empty in the blue cart. Do NOT bag recyclables. Cardboard flattened, max 2' x 2' x 2'.
Set-out time: All carts at curb by 6 AM. Lids fully closed. At least 2 ft between carts and 3 ft from any fixed object, this is the most common reason for missed pickups in SF (carts too close together skip the automated truck arms).
Cost: Included in residential service rates.
Mandatory Free Curbside Composting (since 2009)
Free, mandatorySan Francisco's curbside composting program, launched in 1996 and made mandatory in 2009, is widely cited as one of the most successful urban organics programs in the U.S. All three carts (trash, recycling, compost) are collected weekly. The program now diverts massive amounts of organic material from landfills and is the model many other cities (Seattle, Oakland, NYC) followed.
What's required: All food scraps (including meat, dairy, bones, shellfish), food-soiled paper, all yard waste in the green cart.
Frequency: Weekly, same day as trash and recycling.
Cost: Free, included in residential service.
Plastic bag rule: NO plastic bags, even biodegradable ones. Use a paper bag or wrap food scraps in newspaper.
Free compost available: During District Weekend Cleanup Events, free compost made from green cart materials is available for residents.
Why this matters: The 2009 mandatory rule predates California's SB 1383 (2022) by 13 years, SF was the model.
Recology SF Transfer Station HHW Facility (Tunnel Ave)
Free for residentsThe Recology Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the Recology SF Transfer Station (501 Tunnel Avenue) accepts paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and other HHW. Free for SF residents with proof of residency. Same facility processes large blocks of clean white Styrofoam through a densifier into ingots for re-manufacturing.
Address: Recology SF Transfer Station, 501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco.
What's accepted: Paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks, electronics.
Cost: Free for SF residents (bring proof of residency).
Bonus: Same facility accepts large blocks of clean white Styrofoam for densifier processing, converted into ingots that are re-manufactured into moldings and boards.
Self-Haul to SF Transfer Station
Fees applyFor residents who prefer to handle their own disposal, self-haul to the Recology SF Transfer Station at 501 Tunnel Avenue. Fees apply based on load weight and material type.
Address: 501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco.
When this makes sense: Items over 100 lbs (not accepted in Bulky Item Recycling). Larger volumes than the 10-item limit.
Cost: Variable by load weight and material type.
District Weekend Cleanup Events
Free, periodicRecology hosts District Weekend Cleanup Events throughout the year to help SF residents dispose of unusable items. St. Vincent de Paul is on-site and accepts gently used clothes, accessories, shoes, books, small household appliances, and electronics. Free compost from green cart materials is also available.
Frequency: Periodic events throughout the year by district.
St. Vincent de Paul on-site: Accepts gently used clothes, accessories, shoes, books, small household appliances, electronics.
Free compost: Free compost made from green cart materials available for residents.
Cost: Free.
Freemoval (partner-community pickups)
FreeFreemoval is a social impact program that subsidizes free junk removal pickups in partner communities, typically affordable housing properties and select municipal partnerships. San Francisco partner expansion is in progress for 2026.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in San Francisco: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Donation-pickup programs
FreeSan Francisco-area nonprofits offer free pickup for items in usable condition. SFRecycles maintains the City's most comprehensive directory.
St. Vincent de Paul San Francisco: Free pickup of furniture, clothing, household items. Strong SF presence with multiple locations.
The Salvation Army San Francisco: Free pickup of clothing, furniture, household items. Schedule at satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco ReStore: Free pickup for furniture, appliances, building materials.
Goodwill San Francisco Bay: Donation pickup for larger items in the SF metro area.
Recology service area. The City and County of San Francisco contracts with Recology, specifically Recology Sunset Scavenger and Recology Golden Gate, to provide residential trash, recycling, and composting service. The three operating companies (Sunset Scavenger, Golden Gate, and Recology SF for the Transfer Station) handle everything within city limits. Surrounding cities (Daly City, South San Francisco, Brisbane, Oakland) have their own waste contracts.
Mandatory three-cart sorting law. Every SF residential customer must use three carts: black for landfill trash, blue for recycling, green for compost. Mixing materials between carts violates city ordinance and can result in fines. Sorting is enforced by Recology and the SF Environment Department.
Weekly collection on the same day. All three carts are collected on the same day, once per week. Your specific weekday depends on your address and which Recology operating company serves your neighborhood. Use the Recology Collection Calendar tool at recology.com to confirm your day.
Cart placement, the most common reason for missed pickup. All carts must be at the curb by 6 AM. You may set carts out the evening before. Place carts with lids opening toward the street, at least 2 feet between each cart and at least 3 feet from any fixed object (poles, parked cars, fire hydrants, mailboxes). Lids must be fully closed. Carts placed too close together will be skipped by the automated truck arms, this is the most common reason for a missed pickup in SF.
Bulky Item Recycling appointment requirements. ALL bulky pickups require an appointment. Schedule at least 2 weeks in advance via (415) 330-1300, customerservice@recologysf.com, or the online form. Apartment tenants can schedule directly without going through landlords. The 10-items-per-appointment limit applies whether items are large furniture or smaller boxed items. The 100-lb-per-item limit means safes, large appliances with concrete, and certain industrial-size items don't qualify, self-haul to the Transfer Station instead.
The RECOLOGY sign rule. When you set out items for Bulky Item Recycling, attach a sign that reads "RECOLOGY" to each item. The crew is collecting from many addresses with potentially overlapping items at the curb, without the sign, your couch could be mistaken for someone else's couch (or worse, ignored entirely). This is the single most common reason for unsuccessful pickups.
Recycling rules. Single-stream, clean, dry, loose recyclables in the blue cart. NO plastic bags or plastic-bagged recyclables. NO Styrofoam in any cart, ever. Cardboard flattened, max 2' x 2' x 2'.
Styrofoam densifier program. Large blocks of clean, white Styrofoam can be dropped off for recycling at the Recology SF Transfer Station (501 Tunnel Ave). Recology's densifier converts it into ingots that are re-manufactured into moldings and boards. Do not put Styrofoam in any cart, it contaminates both recycling and compost streams.
Holiday delays, minimal. Recology provides uninterrupted service on most holidays. No collection on December 25 or January 1 only. If a scheduled appointment falls on those dates, service typically shifts to the following business day.
Customer service. Recology customer service: (415) 330-1300. Email: customerservice@recologysf.com. recology.com/recology-san-francisco. SF Environment: sfenvironment.org. SFRecycles directory: sfrecycles.org.
San Francisco's donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (subject to program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
Items typically not accepted: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don't work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), and exercise equipment that requires reassembly. Always call before scheduling if you're unsure, pickups that find unacceptable items will leave them behind.
For households who exceed the 10-item Bulky Item Recycling limit, have items over 100 lbs (not accepted in Bulky Item Recycling), need bulk pickup outside their 1 or 2 annual allotment without paying Recology's additional-pickup fee, want same-day or in-home pickup, or have items Recology won't accept, paid options are available. Note: SF's 1-2 free pickups per year is dramatically less generous than cities like Albuquerque (unlimited year-round) or Oakland (free pickup PLUS free drop-off). Plan ahead and combine items into your annual allotment for best free coverage.
LoadUp paid pickup
$80+For households who need same-day or in-home pickup, exceed the 10-item or 100-lb limits, can't wait for the 2-week appointment lead time, have already used their annual allotment, or want full-service hauling without managing the RECOLOGY-sign requirement, LoadUp offers professional removal in San Francisco with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What's included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes, crew handles in-home pickup.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume. SF pricing typically runs higher than national average due to disposal costs.
When this beats waiting: Move-outs, real estate timelines, items over 100 lbs (Recology won't take), used your annual allotment already, can't hit the 2-week scheduling lead time.
Other paid services in SF: 1-800-Got-Junk SF, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Junk King, comparison-shop for larger jobs.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book a San Francisco pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Recology Additional Pickup (fee-based)
Variable feeIf you exceed your annual free Bulky Item Recycling allotment (2 for SFH, 1 per unit for apartments), Recology offers additional curbside collections for a fee. Call (415) 330-1300 for current pricing.
How to schedule: Call (415) 330-1300 or email customerservice@recologysf.com after using your annual free allotment.
Cost: Variable, Recology will quote based on items and volume.
Same rules apply: Same 10-items, 100-lb limits, RECOLOGY sign requirement.
Different items have different rules in San Francisco. Here's a quick reference for the most common things people need to dispose of.
San Francisco residents have free hazardous waste disposal at the Recology SF Transfer Station HHW Facility at 501 Tunnel Avenue. Free for SF residents with proof of residency. Drop off paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks, and electronics. Same facility processes large blocks of clean white Styrofoam through a densifier, converting it into ingots re-manufactured into moldings and boards. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, most pharmacies for unused medications.
To report illegal dumping in San Francisco, use the SF311 mobile app or call 311 (or 415-701-2311 from outside SF). Reports can also be filed online at sf311.org. Include the location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. SF takes dumping seriously through Public Works Bureau of Street Environmental Services. If you're considering dumping because you've used your annual Bulky Item Recycling allotment, please use a paid hauler, LoadUp pickups starting around $80, or Recology's additional-pickup fee, are dramatically cheaper than illegal dumping fines under California law (which can reach thousands of dollars).
Is there really free junk removal in San Francisco?
Yes, San Francisco residential customers get free Bulky Item Recycling by appointment via Recology. Single-family homes and small buildings (5 units or fewer) get 2 pickups per year; apartment dwellers in 6+ unit buildings get 1 pickup per year per unit. Up to 10 items per appointment, no item over 100 lbs. The catch: each item must be tagged with a sign reading "RECOLOGY" so crews know what to take. Schedule at least 2 weeks in advance via (415) 330-1300, email customerservice@recologysf.com, or the online form. Plus: free WEEKLY recycling (rare nationally), MANDATORY free weekly composting (in place since 2009), free HHW disposal at the Recology SF Transfer Station (501 Tunnel Ave), free Styrofoam densifier drop-off at the same Transfer Station, and free donation pickup through St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, and Goodwill.
Why do I need to attach a "RECOLOGY" sign to my items?
San Francisco's density and sidewalk usage create a unique problem: at any given time, multiple residents on the same block may have items at the curb, some scheduled for Recology pickup, some intended for the trash, some that just appeared from passersby leaving items. Without a clear marker, crews can't tell what's scheduled and what isn't. The "RECOLOGY" sign solves this by clearly identifying YOUR items as the appointment that day. Without the sign, crews may pass items by, leaving you to deal with the items still at the curb plus a missed appointment. Attach the sign to each item separately if you have multiple items spread out. Use a marker on cardboard, printer paper, or anything visible, the word matters more than the format.
Why are items over 100 lbs not accepted?
Recology's Bulky Item Recycling crews use truck-mounted lifting equipment with a 100-lb safe-lift limit per item to protect crew workers from injury. Larger items (industrial-size safes, large appliances filled with water or concrete, oversized commercial-grade equipment) require self-haul to the Recology SF Transfer Station at 501 Tunnel Avenue (fees apply by weight) or a private hauler with appropriate equipment. For most household items, the 100-lb limit is generous, standard mattresses, couches, dressers, refrigerators, washers, and dryers all fall well under 100 lbs in residential weights. The limit primarily affects very specialized items.
How do I qualify for Freemoval in San Francisco?
Freemoval works through partner communities, typically affordable housing operators, public housing authorities, and select municipal partnerships. We’re actively expanding partnerships in San Francisco through 2026. If your property is part of the program, your property manager will provide a booking code. If you operate housing or work in a city department in San Francisco, contact us to discuss adding your community.
Why is Styrofoam not accepted in any cart?
Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene foam) breaks into small white particles when it gets wet or compacted, and those particles contaminate ALL three of SF's waste streams. In recycling, Styrofoam particles stick to paper and contaminate the paper bales sold to mills. In compost, the particles look like organic matter visually but never break down, they end up in finished compost sold to farms and gardens, where they become microplastics in soil. In landfill trash, the particles blow out of trucks during transport and litter the city. Recology's densifier program at the SF Transfer Station (501 Tunnel Ave) is the proper alternative: clean white blocks are processed through a densifier into ingots that are re-manufactured into moldings, boards, and other products. The program is free for residents.
I'm a renter, can I really schedule pickup myself without my landlord?
Yes, San Francisco apartment tenants can schedule Bulky Item Recycling directly with Recology without going through their landlord or property manager. Each unit in a building with 6 or more units gets 1 free pickup per year. Just call Recology at (415) 330-1300 or use the online Bulky Item Recycling Form, identify yourself as a tenant at your address, and schedule. Your building must be on an active Recology Sunset Scavenger or Recology Golden Gate account, this covers virtually all residential SF buildings within city limits. The change brings equity to the program: SFH owners and renters now have similar access (with the per-unit annual cap difference), and tenants don't have to chase landlords for what is fundamentally a service their building already pays for.
How do I report illegal dumping in San Francisco?
Use the SF311 mobile app or call 311 (or 415-701-2311 from outside SF). Reports can also be filed online at sf311.org. Include location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible.
Is this page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated May 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
Freemoval is actively onboarding San Francisco partner properties through 2026. Reach out to prioritize your community.
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