The Sunnyvale Materials Recovery and Transfer Station, SMaRT Station®, is operated by Bay Counties Waste Services for the cities of Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. The SMaRT Station, located at 301 Carl Road, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed only on Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1.
The SMaRT Station offers the following services:
- Recycling Center
- Buy-Back Center
- Self-haul disposal
- Compost and mulch (1/2"-3/4" woody material) as available -- no charge to residents of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto (see quantity restrictions for compost). Bring a shovel and container. Call (408) 752-8530 for availability prior to going to the SMaRT Station (phones answered M-F, 8-5). Other locations to get compost are also available locally.
RECYCLING CENTER-Materials Accepted (no charge):
- Aluminum, tin, steel and bi-metal cans
- Clothes and shoes
- Cooking oil*
- Electronics: computers, TVs, monitors (limit four), small appliances
- Fluorescent bulbs and tubes (20 tube limit)
- Glass bottles and containers (no auto/window glass, ceramics or mirrors)
- Household and auto batteries
- Mercury items: thermostats, thermometers
- Paper and corrugated cardboard
- Plastic containers stamped #1 - #7
- Sharps (needles and lancets)
- Used motor oil and oil filters, antifreeze*
*Limit is 10 gallons in 5 gallon capacity containers or smaller with screw-top lids.
Note: The SMaRT Station no longer accepts plastic bags for recycling due to the inability to find a viable market for the material. Please take plastic bags to local grocery stores for recycling.
Buy-Back Center
Cash is paid on California Redemption Value (CRV) containers to residents and businesses.
Self-Haul Disposal - As of December 1, 2011, drivers with untarped loads will be charged a $15 fee
Residents and businesses of Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale may dispose of trash, demolition debris, concrete, dirt and other materials at the SMaRT Station. Businesses must provide a valid business license from one of the three cities. Disposal rates are determined by types of materials disposed per cubic yard or on a per unit basis.
Eight days of each year, Sunnyvale residents may dispose of extra trash at no charge during Extra Dumping Weekends. See the 2013 Recycling Events Calendar for specific dates.
Rather than haul materials to the SMaRT Station, single-family residents may prefer to call (408) 730-7400 for an On-call Collection appointment to have extra garbage picked up at the curb.
SMaRT Station Tours/ Video Tours
Interested in a tour of the SMaRT Station? Group tours are offered, by appointment, for visitors seeking to learn how garbage and recyclable materials are processed and sorted for recycling at the SMaRT Station. Visitors in groups of 24 or fewer, aged 10 and older, must wear closed-toed shoes for protection. Call the SMaRT Station at (408) 752-8530 to set up (phones answered M-F, 8-5). Or, watch our virtual tour via YouTube to see how the SMaRT Station equipment processes materials. We also have a color poster of the SMaRT Station process available to view or print.
The Santa Clara County Audubon Society conducts Sunnyvale Landfill and Birding Tours on the closed landfill every first Wednesday of the month.
SMaRT Station Native Landscape
A landscape refurbishment project at the SMaRT Station was completed in 2010 which included the installation of native plants, sheet mulching to reduce weed growth, the removal of 2,000 square feet of lawn, the use of compost and mulch generated on site, removal of non-native invasive plants, a demonstration garden, and below ground drip irrigation.
The goal of the project was to install plants that are native to the region and require little water, maintenance, and pesticide use. City staff wrote specifications that required the contractor to use Bay Friendly Gardener or Santa Clara Valley Green Gardener guidelines which support the integrity of the San Francisco Bay watershed ecosystem. Contact Karen Gissibl at (408) 730-7277 for more information.
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