🗑️ San Jose Trash Pickup
Who collects in San Jose, California, how to find your pickup day, bulk item pickup, holiday delays and what it costs. Checked October 31, 2026.
⚡ Quick Answer
In San Jose, residential trash is collected by GreenWaste Recovery (yard trimmings collection). Pickup days depend on your address, so check with the collector to find yours. Questions: (408) 535-3500. Bulk item pickup: Free ("at no cost").
Checked October 31, 2026 against the city's and its hauler's own pages. We never print a pickup day for a whole city, because it changes by street.
🗓️ How Pickup Works
Collection for all material occurs between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, once per week. Set out all carts no later than 6 a.m. on your collection day, and no earlier than the day before. Extra garbage goes in a 32-gallon plastic bag.
The City contracts private haulers; the collection company depends on the address and is found with the City's Residential Services Lookup. City pages checked do not name the single-family garbage and recycling haulers. GreenWaste's own San Jose page describes its role as weekly yard trimmings collection.
| Cart | Sizes | How often |
|---|---|---|
| 🗑️ Trash | 32, 64 or 96 gallon | weekly |
| ♻️ Recycling | Not printed | weekly |
| 🍂 Yard waste | optional yard trimmings cart (subscription) | weekly |
🛋️ Bulk Item Pickup
- 💵Cost: Free ("at no cost").
- 📞How to book: Check the list of accepted items, then request an appointment online at 311.SanJoseCA.gov, by dialing 3-1-1, or by calling (408) 535-3500. A confirmation email with the appointment date usually arrives within a couple of business days.
- 📏Limits: Requests may include up to 12 items for pickup. Available to San Jose owners and renters in single-family homes and multi-family complexes. The City's April 2026 rate notice describes the service as "unlimited Junk Pickup"; no yearly cap on requests was printed.
Too long a wait, or over the limit? Haul it yourself: 3 public drop-off sites in Santa Clara County, or get a junk removal quote below.
🎄 Holiday Delays
Collection occurs on all holidays except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. If one of those falls Monday to Friday, collection moves one day later for the rest of that week. Holidays named: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day.
♻️ Recycling
Recycling is included with the garbage fee.
🚛 Drop It Off Yourself
- 📍Guadalupe Landfill, San Jose · $92
- 📍GreenWaste Zanker Resource Recovery Facility, San Jose · $60
- 📍SMaRT Station, Sunnyvale · $29
Rates are not shown here because the city's own pages print conflicting or undated amounts. See the official rate page in the sources below.
📚 Where This Comes From
- 🔗Residential Homes Collection & Setouts (City of San Jose)
- 🔗Request Recycling, Garbage and Yard Trimmings Services with San Jose 311 (City of San Jose)
- 🔗Junk Pickup (City of San Jose)
- 🔗Rates & Billing (City of San Jose)
- 🔗Notice of proposed residential garbage and recycling rates, April 8, 2026 (City of San Jose)
- 🔗San Jose (GreenWaste Recovery)
Checked October 31, 2026. Trash rules and rates change; the official pages above are the final word. See something out of date? Tell us.
🚚 Skip the trip. Get junk removal quotes near San Jose
No truck, or no time? Tell us what you have and we will reply with your options for getting it hauled. Free to ask, no obligation.