Trimming Waste Down to Size

Everyone who lives or works in Cupertino can help the climate and the environment by practicing the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. Limiting the amount of garbage that goes into landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions, as well as air, water and soil pollution. It also helps minimize the use of resources to produce such items, as well as of the resources involved in transporting and handling them once they have become trash.

Cupertino’s municipal operations, residents and businesses are putting garbage on a diet with services for recycling, composting and household hazardous waste drop-off, and waste reduction. To guide these efforts, Cupertino City Council adopted a Zero Waste Policy on December 19, 2017 and conducted a single-family residential waste characterization study in 2018. 

Set Out

Garbage, Recycling and Composting Services

For Residents

Cupertino’s curbside garbage, recycling and composting program for residents includes food and yard waste collection for composting, single-stream recycling, used cooking oil collection, battery and compact fluorescent bulb collection, household hazardous waste drop-off, and on-call collection of bulky items. For more information, see:

 Garbage Rates & Collection Schedule

Recycling & Composting

Hazardous Waste Collection

Bulky Items & On-Call Collection 

Residents are eligible for two free on-call collections per year at  no additional cost. This program can be used to collect extra garbage, construction & demolition debris, bulky items, or clean wood and organic material. Visit Recology's webpage on on-call collection for more information. Call Recology at (408) 725-4020 to schedule a collection. 

For Businesses

Recology provides garbage, recycling and composting services tailored to businesses and multi-unit residential properties based on size and other factors. For more information, call Recology at (408) 725-4020 or see: 

Reducing Waste & Litter

In addition to separating recyclables and compostables for collection by Recology, Cupertino residents and businesses can further prevent and reduce waste and litter through a number of methods, including the following. 

Reusing by Donating or Reselling

You also can keep certain usable items from becoming trash by donating to a charity directly or at an Environmental Recycling & Shredding event, by selling them during the annual Citywide Garage Sale or giving them through an online group, such as the Freecycle Network™.