Can you recycle plastic bags in San Jose, CA?

Not in your recycling cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City of San Jose uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your garbage cart.

What do I do with batteries in San Jose, CA?

Batteries never go in any of your San Jose, CA carts — not the recycling cart, not the garbage cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

Recycling rules in San Jose, CA

📍 City of San Jose (GreenWaste) · 2-cart program

Who collects your recycling in San Jose, CA

San Jose, CA collects its own residential waste: City of San Jose (GreenWaste) operates the carts directly rather than contracting the route to a private hauler. Households get two carts — a recycling cart for recyclables and a garbage cart for everything else. There is no curbside compost cart, so food scraps and food-soiled paper go in the garbage cart.

That third cart isn't optional: California's SB 1383 requires organic-waste collection statewide, which is why food scraps have their own cart here instead of going in the trash.

The quick answer for San Jose, CA

Plastic bottles & jugs	♻️ Recycling cart	Empty; keep the cap on.
Aluminum & steel cans	♻️ Recycling cart	Give them a rinse.
Flattened cardboard	♻️ Recycling cart	Clean, dry sections only.
Glass bottles & jars	♻️ Recycling cart	Lids off.
Food scraps	🗑️ Garbage cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Greasy pizza box	🗑️ Garbage cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Plastic bags & film	🗑️ Garbage cart	Store drop-off is better.
Batteries	⚠️ Hazardous	Never curbside — tape the terminals.

This is the short list. The full A–Z of what is and isn't recyclable is on what can I recycle? — or scan the item and get the answer for San Jose, CA directly.

📷 Scan an item

San Jose, CA recycling FAQ

Can you recycle plastic bags in San Jose, CA?: Not in your recycling cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City of San Jose uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your garbage cart.
What do I do with batteries in San Jose, CA?: Batteries never go in any of your San Jose, CA carts — not the recycling cart, not the garbage cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

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Still not sure?

Rules vary by material and by hauler, and the sorting line is strict — one wrong item can contaminate a whole load. When in doubt, point your camera at the item for a verdict, or check the official City of San Jose (GreenWaste) guide.