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EAST BAY SANITARY COMPANY, INC.

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COMMERCIAL GREEN WASTE
& FOOD SCRAPS SERVICE

Orange Slice Image: Compost Service in El Cerrito

Did you know that businesses in El Cerrito can put food scraps and food-soiled paper along with yard trimmings in their green waste carts for weekly curbside collection AND it’s the law?

Removing organic material from the landfill is a top priority for all of California. When organic material like food waste and green waste is landfilled, it breaks down and creates Methane – a greenhouse gas 80x more powerful than Carbon Dioxide. More methane creates greater climate changes leading to droughts and wildfires.

Do your part to stop climate change by placing your food scraps, yard waste and food-soiled paper in your green cart! Composting produces a soil amendment for farmers and helps reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Effective January 1, 2022, a new law (SB 1383) requires that all Californian’s properly sort their organic waste for composting from materials that go to the landfill.

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Free Recycling Consultation

The City of El Cerrito offers free consultations to help multifamily dwellings and commercial businesses recycle right. Contact the City directly by phone 510.215.4350 or email to set up and optimize your service.
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Green Waste & Food Scraps Cart

Put all your organics into your green cart.

Do not overfill; make sure that the lid closes securely when placed at the curb for collection.

Please remember that any materials extending beyond the rim of any cart will be subject to an extra charge or cause your cart to not be serviced.

Visit our Commercial Service Guidelines page to review the cart options and set out rules for business customers.

Green Waste Cart

What Belongs in Green Waste/Food Scraps

Residents of El Cerrito can put food scraps and food-soiled paper along with yard trimmings in their green waste cart for weekly curbside collection. Please remember that any materials extending beyond the rim of any cart will be subject to an extra charge or your cart not being picked up.

These materials can be placed in the green waste/food scraps cart.

Green Waste

  • Grass clippings, yard trimmings, tree branches (up to 3 feet), weeds, leaves, flowers, pine needles
  • Unpainted or untreated wood scraps.

Food Scraps

  • Fruits and vegetables,
  • Food scraps (meat, bones, bread, pasta, egg shells, coffee grounds, and dairy).

Food-Soiled Paper

  • Used paper plates, paper cups, napkins, paper bags.
  • Pizza boxes
  • Plain, white shredded office  paper can also go in the green waste cart.


What Goes In the Green Cart

What Doesn’t Belong in Green Waste/Food Scraps

These materials are not allowed in the green waste/food scraps cart.

  • Plastic bags
  • Milk and juice cartons
  • Lawn sod
  • Ash or burned material
  • Painted or treated wood
  • Pet waste or manure
  • Dirt, rock, sand or concrete
  • Palm fronds, poison oak/ivy, yucca root, blackberry vines, and bamboo

El Cerrito Don’t Put in Green Waste

Green Waste/Food Scraps Contamination

Contamination occurs when a non-compostable item is placed in your green waste/food scraps cart. Besides potentially ruining good organic material, contamination increases labor costs at processing plants as workers try to separate contaminated material from good material. California’s SB 1383 Organics Law requires all generators of waste (businesses, public entities, and single/multifamily residents) to properly sort their waste.

Common Recycling Contaminants

  • Dirt or Rock (if you aren’t able to reuse, call our office to determine if the amount warrants extra pick up or a debris box)
  • Pressure Treated, Painted, or Stained Wood (see Hazardous Waste)
  • Pet Waste (should go into trash)
  • Plastic Bags (recycle at your local supermarket or put in your garbage Cart)
  • Bioplastics (except ASTM D6400 compostable bags)
  • Diapers (should go into your garbage cart)

Garbage & Green Waste/Food Scraps Missed Collection 

Did we miss collecting your organics and or garbage cart(s) or did you forget to set them out?

  • If our driver misses emptying  your cart(s), please call our office. If you discover your cart was not emptied after office hours, please leave a message on our 24-hour voice mail system at 510.237.4321 so we can send the driver back the following morning.
  • If you accidentally forgot to set-out your cart(s), please call our office hours and ask for the driver to take an extra bag the next pick-up day equal to your missed collection without charge.
  • If you cannot wait until the next week to set-out extra garbage and/or green waste, we can go back and empty the cart(s) for an additional $25 per cart.

Extra Green Waste/Food Scraps

If you have extra green waste that does not fit inside your cart, you must call East Bay Sanitary office at least one (1) business day before your collection day and before 2:00 p. m.

  • There is a charge for extra green waste
  • Extra green waste must be placed in special 30 gallon recyclable green waste paper bags that can be purchased at your local hardware store. You may also use a reusable container that can be safely dumped and placed back at the curb.
  • GREEN WASTE WILL NOT BE TAKEN IN PLASTIC BAGS!
  • Please keep green waste bags and reusable containers to a 30 pound weight limit.

 

On occasion, our driver might tag your cart when a cart is overloaded and you will be charged for the extra green waste even though an order was not called in.

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Materials Guide

Check out the Materials Guide for information about recycling and garbage services in El Cerrito. Available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Get the Guide

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Recycling Laws

All residents and businesses must separate recycling and organic waste from garbage by law.

Recycling Laws

ABOUT EAST BAY SANITARY

We have been serving the El Cerrito Community for 80 years. The residents of El Cerrito can take pride in the fact that they are participating in a premier and cutting-edge waste management system and that East Bay Sanitary is working very hard to manage our resources and preserve our environment in the best ways possible.
  • East Bay Sanitary Company, Inc.
  • Phone Hours: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm
  • 510.237.4321
  • 510.237.1340
  • Walk-in Hours: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
  • 1432 Kearney Street, El Cerrito CA 94530
  • Mailing Address: PO Box 1316, El Cerrito, CA 94530
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