City of Gilroy Recycling Program

Printable Material Single Stream Recycling Flyer The following PDF files can be printed for easy reference. You will need the free Acrobat Reader to view this file.

SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING IS HERE!

South Valley Disposal & Recycling and the City of Gilroy have improved the recycling program by changing the recycling containers from bins to a cart.

The easy-to-wheel blue recycling cart helps reduce litter, discourages scavenging and provides greater capacity. Single-stream recycling also means no more sorting and no more heavy lifting. Studies have shown that with the convenience of single-stream recycling will come greater participation and increased recycling volumes, which will help reduce the amount of materials going to our landfills.


2007 / 2008 Recycler of the Year Awards


Recycle Award 2008 Find out how your business or household can become Gilroy's Recycler of the Year.

Business Recycler of the Year: Express Media Graphics

Residential Recycler of the Year: The Miller Family


Recycling Overview



Items Allowed or Disallowed in the New Recycling Cart:
Mixed Papers Cardboard Containers
Magazines, phone books, newspapers, catalogs, paper bags, envelopes, cereal, cracker & frozen food boxes, junk mail. Break down cardboard to fit inside cart with lid closed. Cardboard must fit loose inside cart. Aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic containers coded 1-7, plastic bags (bagged together), scrap metal.
Acceptable Paper Materials:
  • Catalogs
  • Cereal, cracker and frozen food boxes (with liners removed)
  • Computer, copy and fax paper
  • Envelopes
  • File folders
  • Junk mail
  • Catalogs
  • Magazines
  • Newspaper
  • Paper egg cartons
  • Phone books
Cut up cardboard boxes and put them loose inside your blue cart. Please do not force boxes into the cart. Larger boxes that do not fit into your cart must be flattened and tied into bundles no larger than three feet by three feet in dimension. Place bundles of cardboard next to your recycling cart on your pick-up day.
  • Driver will not pick up loose piles of cardboard!
Acceptable Containers
Plastic:
  • Milk jugs
  • Shampoo bottles
  • Polystyrene blocks
  • Polystyrene packing peanuts (must be in secured or tied in a clear plastic bag)
 Metal:
Please recycle all metal food and beverage containers, including those made of aluminum, tin, and steel such as soda, pet food, soup, and tuna cans. Lids are okay. Pots, pans, toasters and other metal items must fit into the recycling cart.
 Glass:
  • Wine Bottles
  • Mayonnaise Jars
  • Spaghetti Jars
Please leave the lids separate in the container 		Aseptic Containers: Aseptic containers are sterile cardboard containers, which are used to preserve food. Examples of aseptic containers are fruit juice boxes or cardboard milk cartons.
Unacceptable Materials
  • Auto, mirror and tinted glass
  • Glassware, crystal and dinnerware
  • Hazardous materials
  • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
  • Paper towels, napkins and facial tissues
  • Paint cans
  • Trash
  • Shrink wrap and bubble wrap
  • Toys
  • Plastic utensils
  • Plastic containers without a recycling symbol
  • Food soiled paper, such as a pizza boxes and paper plates

Metal:

Microwave ovens, car parts, clothes hangers and small pieces such as nuts and bolts.

Household Batteries


Batteries Put AAA - D, 9V, alkaline, rechargeable, and button cell batteries in a zippered plastic bag on top of your blue cart.

Do not put car batteries out to be collected.
See the Household Hazardous Waste page for information on where to dispose of old car batteries. The San Martin Transfer Station accepts car batteries at no charge

Oil Filter

Used Motor Oil & Oil Filters


To recycle motor oil and used oil filters, you must request one-gallon plastic containers with a screw top lid and special oil filter bags by contacting customer service.

You may place up to three one-gallon containers of used motor oil and three fully drained filters (in bags) next to your recycling cart on collection day.

Service Schedule


Your blue recycling cart, compost cart, batteries, used motor oil and oil filters are collected weekly on your regular collection day. All garbage and recycling containers need to be placed on the street, wheels against the curb, the night before your service day or by 6:00 a.m. on your service day. Remember that collection times may vary.



Your garbage, recycling, and yard waste cart will all be collected by an automated truck. This means a mechanical arm retrieves, empties, and sets the cart down in the street without the driver leaving the truck.

This efficient collection system works best when all of the containers are at least 18 inches apart as shown in the picture above.

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