Setout Tips / Frequently Asked Questions

PROPER CURBSIDE SET-OUT
  • Be sure your carts are at the curb by 6:00 am on your collection day. Log into your account or contact us to find out when we service your area.
  • Leave the carts at the curb until we’ve emptied them. Our trucks can arrive at different times each week. Please note: San Leandro Municipal Code prohibits the storage of Garbage, Recyclables, or Organics carts in view of a public street except on collection day.
  • Place your carts facing the street with wheels against the curb (if possible).
  • Leave 3 feet between each cart.
  • Do not place carts close to parked cars, fire hydrants, low-hanging branches, parking meters, utility poles, and other obstacles.
  • Do not overload your carts. The lids should close completely.
  • Set occasional overflow recycling in paper grocery bags next to the blue cart. Need more recycling space? Single family residents can have up to 2 recycling carts at no additional charge. Contact ACI to arrange for additional recycling service,
  • Overflow garbage will only be collected if you have affixed pre-paid tags to your trash bag. Contact ACI to purchase tags or to arrange for additional service.
  • Do not wedge or compact materials into your carts. Doing so will prevent your cart from being fully emptied when serviced.
  • Materials from a construction, demolition, or landscaping project do not belong in your carts. Contact ACI to order a temporary debris box for these items.

KEEP OUR WORKERS SAFE! PUT HAZARDOUS WASTE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
Hazardous waste and e-waste do not belong in any ACI collection container.
Items like batteries, CFL bulbs, fluorescent lights, smoke detectors, pesticides, fertilizers, pool & photo chemicals, paint/varnish, toxic cleaning products, unwanted medications, and sharps (needles, lancets, etc.) need to be taken to a hazardous waste collection facility. For more information and a list of Alameda County’s disposal locations, please visit StopWaste.org/hhw or call the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste team at 1-800-606-6606.

 

FAQS
Click on topics/question for more information. If you don’t see your question, please contact us.

 

• MY COLLECTION CONTAINER IS DAMAGED . CAN I GET A REPLACEMENT?
Please contact us to arrange delivery of a new container.
• I JUST MOVED TO THE AREA. HOW DO I START MY SERVICE?
Welcome to the City of San Leandro! A form is required in order to start/stop service.
• HOW CAN I CANCEL SERVICE?
Service is mandatory in San Leandro, but if you’re moving out, we are happy to close your account. Click here to fill out the necessary form.
• WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE SURE MY CARTS ARE SERVICED EACH WEEK? IS THERE A SPECIFIC WAY I SHOULD SET MY CARTS OUT?
Please see our PROPER CURBSIDE SET OUT, at the top of this page.
• WILL ACI PUSH/PULL MY CARTS OUT FOR SERVICE?
Yes. ACI offers on-premise (backyard or sideyard) service for a fee. The fee can be waived for a resident with a documented disability (a form is required). Contact us for details.
• HOW CAN I HELP KEEP SHREDDED PAPER, PACKING PEANUTS, AND OTHER ITEMS FROM LITTERING THE STREET AFTER COLLECTION?
Here are some tips to keep those loose ends from escaping.
– We prefer shredded paper to be placed in your green organics container (it can absorb liquids and odor). Shredded paper can also be placed inside a paper bag or box, sealed with a staple or piece of tape, and put in your blue recyclables container.
− Bag/contain all Styrofoam® packing peanuts before putting in the garbage.
− Place breakable items in the middle or bottom of the appropriate cart.
• ONE OR MORE OF MY CARTS DID NOT GET SERVICED?
Please leave cart/carts out at the curb. If your neighbors’ carts were all emptied or it’s after 6 pm, then it’s likely we accidentally missed your cart. Contact us immediately, and we will send a truck back around as soon as possible.
• CAN I EXCHANGE MY RECYCLING OR ORGANICS CART FOR A DIFFERENT SIZE?
Yes. Please contact us or log in to your account to request an exchange. We offer 32, 64, and 96-gallon carts. Exchanges are done within a few weeks of request on your regular service day. Before requesting a smaller cart, be sure to give the larger one a try. Review the list of acceptable items in our Single-Family Service Guide and see if you can use the higher capacity. It is important to note that a larger recycling or organics cart does not cost more than a smaller one.
For cart sizes, click here.
• IS THERE A CHARGE TO HAVE A CART EXCHANGED?
Every twelve months, we will do one exchange for no charge.
• MY 96-GALLON RECYCLING CART DOESN'T FIT IN THE SPACE I HAVE TO STORE IT. WILL A SMALLER ONE?
The 64-gallon has almost the same footprint so might not fit either. Consider getting a 32-gallon or creating a larger storage space. Click here for cart sizes.
• WHAT ARE THE AVAILABLE GARBAGE CART SIZES?
Click here for garbage cart sizes/dimensions.
• WHAT BELONGS IN EACH OF MY CARTS?
Proper sorting makes a difference! Garbage belongs in the grey, recyclables in the blue, and organics (yard trimmings, food scraps, and food-soiled paper) in the green. Click here for our Single-Family Service Guide.
Click here for an online guide of what belongs in each container.
• I DO MY OWN GARDENING AND COULD REALLY USE SOME GOOD-QUALITY COMPOST. WHY SHOULD I GIVE ACI ALL MY ORGANIC WASTE?
You don’t have to give your organic waste away. In fact, many gardeners transform their kitchen scraps and lawn clippings into their own high-quality compost. We invite you to do the same. Click here for information on how to start your own compost program.
• I RECENTLY REPLACED MY FRIDGE (OR MY WATER HEATER, OR MY SOFA, OR MY BED, OR MY..). WHAT DO I DO WITH THE OLD ONE?
You have several options. Assuming the unwanted item is still in reasonable shape, you can do the following:
– List it for free on freecycle.org.
– Sell it on CraigsList.org or a similar site.
– Donate it to a local charity.
– Use the Re:Source online guide.
– Schedule an On-Call/Bulky Item Clean-Up if you need it taken away.
• I HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING MY LAST INVOICE. IS THERE SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME?
Absolutely. Please contact us at your convenience. We want you to understand how our invoicing works; and we want to correct any mistakes as quickly as possible.
• WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH LEFTOVER PAINT, FERTILIZER, POOL CHEMICALS, AND OTHER TOXIC/HAZARDOUS WASTE PRODUCTS?
Visit our Household Hazardous & E-Waste Program page for info.
• I'M DOING SOME WORK ON MY HOUSE AND THERE IS MORE GARBAGE THAN USUAL. HOW DO I GET RID OF IT?
Schedule an On-Call/Bulky Item Clean-Up or order a debris box. Whether cleaning out your garage, re-landscaping your yard, remodeling your kitchen, or deep cleaning, we have a solution to suit your needs. Contact us or check out the rate pages for complete information.
• I'M SICK OF ALL THIS JUNK MAIL! IS THERE A WAY TO MAKE IT STOP?
Visit www.stopjunkmail.org. To cut back on unsolicited catalogs, visit www.catalogchoice.org.
• I'M ABOUT TO MOVE/JUST FINISHED MOVING. WHERE CAN I GET/GET RID OF BOXES?
Post reusable boxes on www.freecycle.org and/or contact a local moving company like U-Haul; they may accept gently-used boxes for donation and reuse by others.
• I CLEANED OUT MY CLOSET AND FOUND LOTS OF GOOD STUFF I NO LONGER WEAR. WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH IT?
Passing your things back into circulation helps other people AND keeps your landfill from overflowing. You can contact:
www.satruck.org
www.EastBayGoodwill.org
www.freecycle.org
A local consignment store
• I'M MOVING AND HAVE AN ENTIRE PANTRY FULL OF FOOD I CAN'T USE. I'D HAVE FOR IT TO GO TO WASTE - ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Good for you. Please do not throw away edible food. Visit the Alameda County Food Bank to pass on your bounty.
• I'M LOOKING FOR BASIC WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING INFORMATION. ANY GOOD SITES TO VISIT?
Sure! Try these:

• www.StopWaste.org
• City of San Leandro
• www.calrecycle.ca.gov

• WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY GROWING PILE OF EMPTY BOTTLES THAT HAVE CALIFORNIA REDEMPTION VALUE (CRV)?
They can be placed in your blue recycling cart (along with other bottles, cans, jars, paper products, and miscellaneous recyclables) for convenient curbside collection; ACI will make sure they’re recycled. Or, you can take them to a buy-back center where your deposit will be returned to you. For a list of locations and more information contact the California State Department of Conservation, call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit www.bottlesandcans.com.
• I'M INTERESTED IN TEACHING MY CHILD MORE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Review our Resource List for teachers.
Visit the Kid’s Club at the US Environmental Agency
Read eco-themed books to your child and discuss afterward. Click here for a suggested reading list
• I'D LIKE TO REWARD COMPANIES THAT GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO DO THE RIGHT THING. IS THERE A WAY TO FIND LOCAL GREEN BUSINESSES?
Yes! Visit www.greenbusinessca.org
• HOW CAN I SAFELY DISPOSE OF FIREPLACE AND BBQ ASH?
Make sure to place fireplace, stove and barbecue ashes in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Put the container outside and 10 feet or more away from your home and combustibles. Wet the ashes down. Once cold, ashes must be contained (so they do not blow away during collection) and then placed in your gray Garbage cart. For more information and additional fire safety tips, visit these websites: Cal Fire, www.usfa.fema.gov, and www.nfpa.org.