City of Sunnyvale

Type of Service - If you are a Sunnyvale resident living in single-family, duplex, triplex or mobile home, you will be provided with "single-family" recycling service by Specialty Solid Waste & Recycling.

Specialty provides a wheeled split cart for collection of recyclable materials. In addition, Specialty provides one-gallon jugs for used motor oil, and heavy-duty zip-lock bags for used motor oil filters. Customers may use paper bags for excess recyclables except oil and oil filters. To order bins, oil jugs or filter bags call the Sunnyvale Revenue Division at (408) 730-7400.

Starting Service - to start service call, stop service or make changes in your garbage or recycling service contact Utility Billing, Customer Service at (408) 730-7400.

Preparing Materials

Please prepare your recyclables for collection as indicated below. Materials not handled accordingly may not be picked up by Specialty. When your cart is full or nearly full, wheel the cart to the curb (with the cart in the street, wheels against the curb) in front of your home so that it and any other materials are clearly visible to the driver of the collection vehicle by 7 a.m. on your weekly pick-up day.

Materials Collected at Curbside

In Split Recycling Cart (green lid, blue lid sides)

Blue-lid side for containers:

Metal food and beverage containers - rinsed
Plastic bottles, jars, tubs and cups (#1 - #7) (soda bottles, margarine tubs) - remove lids and flatten
Glass food and beverage containers - remove lids

Green-lid side for newspapers and newsprint:

Newspaper - place loosely in bin
Inserts that come with newspaper
Phone books - place in the green lid side

Note: Other mixed paper types are to be collected separately in a sturdy paper bag. Then, place the bag in your trash container. We'll sort for this paper at the SMaRT Station.

Also collected at curbside:

Used motor oil - pour into the jug (provided by Specialty) or a non-breakable one-gallon container with a screw top lid (e.g. rinsed plastic detergent container).
Oil filters - after completely draining excess oil from filter into an oil pan, place filter in a heavy-duty zip-lock plastic bag, seal the bag, and place the sealed bag at the curbside on your next recycling day. When the filter is collected, a replacement bag will be provided.
Corrugated cardboard - tie or tape into bundles 30” x 30” x 6” or smaller.
Paper grocery bags - flatten bags and put inside another paper grocery bag or bundle with cardboard. White bags are OK.
Household batteries - rechargeable batteries from cellphones, laptops and cordless power tools, AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volts, and button batteries such as those found in hearing aids. Tape battery terminals and put batteries in a tightly sealed, clear-plastic bag and place the bag on top of your recycling split cart.

Materials Not Collected at Curbside

The following materials are not collected at curbside for recycling. Recycling containers bearing these materials will not be emptied. Some of these materials may be recycled at the SMaRT Station Recycling Center located at 301 Carl Road, Sunnyvale, open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (click here for directions).

White or colored paper, junk mail, envelopes, magazines (place in sturdy, paper bag and place in trash for sorting at the SMaRT Station)
Wax/plastic coated cardboard or cereal-type boxes
Televisions and computer monitors, eletronic products or mercury-containing products
Motor oil mixed with other liquids
Antifreeze
Plastics other than bottles, jars, tubs and cups (#1 - #7)
Window/auto glass & crushed glass
Mirrors
Pyrex
Ceramics & porcelain
Crystal

SMaRT Station^® Recycling Center

Businesses and residents of any community may bring their recyclables to the SMaRT Station Recycling Center, operated by GreenTeam/Zanker of Sunnyvale. See details of materials collected at the SMaRT Station located at 301 Carl Road (click here for directions). It is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.

Holiday Tree Recycling ("Treecycling")

The City provides an annual year 'round holiday tree recycling program for all single family, duplex, triplex, and mobile homes. During this time, residents may recycle holiday trees with the regular yard waste program by placing them at curbside on the regular garbage collection day. Or, trees may be placed in the yard trimmings cart. We also take flocked trees. Please cut trees into lengths of four feet or shorter. Remove nails and decorations. Questions? Contact the City of Sunnyvale Recycling Program at 730-7262.

Find out about Sunnyvale's holiday schedule for refuse and recycling collection.

To check for ideas about how you can also
reduce waste and make other environmentally-friendly choices this holiday season see these green resources such as the Green Holiday Guide.