San Jose trash & bulky-item rules

San José’s Junk Pickup program is available at no additional charge for single-family and multifamily residents. Residents can request an appointment through San José 311, the 311 app or by phone. The City currently allows up to 12 confirmed items per appointment and describes the service as available without a fixed annual appointment cap.

Only items listed on the confirmed request are collected. If a resident adds extra material after scheduling, crews can leave those unlisted items behind. Apartment and condominium residents should also follow the placement instructions for their building or property manager.

Items can be set out up to 24 hours before the scheduled appointment and must be ready by the confirmed collection time. Current City guidance requires items to be placed at least 3 feet from other objects and not leaning against cars, fences, mailboxes, trees, carts or utility poles.

Do not stack items. Sharp edges must be made safe, and water-retaining items should be covered if rain is expected. Early or improper set-out can be treated as illegal dumping and may result in a missed pickup or citation.

The accepted list includes sofas, chairs, desks, dressers, mattresses, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washers, dryers and many other household appliances. Upholstered furniture contaminated with bed bugs, mold or fecal matter is not accepted through the program.

This makes the service useful for ordinary household cleanouts, but the appointment still needs to identify each item. A refrigerator should be listed as a refrigerator rather than simply described as “appliance.”

San José’s accepted-items list includes selected electronics such as computers and monitors as well as tires. Electronics must follow the City’s preparation instructions, including boxing or bundling when required by the item-specific guidance.

That is a significant difference from cities that ban electronics and tires from all curbside bulky service. In San José, the key rule is still the same: schedule the specific item before setting it out.

The program does not accept glass, mirrors, construction debris or household hazardous waste. Large remodeling loads therefore need an authorized C&D/debris-hauling route rather than repeated Junk Pickup appointments.

San José maintains City-authorized construction-and-demolition hauling resources for renovation projects. Paint, pesticides, chemicals, propane cylinders and similar hazardous household material should use the Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste program instead.

San José residents can schedule a free HHW drop-off appointment through Santa Clara County. The program handles paint, household chemicals, automotive fluids, batteries, pesticides and other accepted hazardous residential material. HHW should never be mixed into a Junk Pickup pile.

For San Jose, start with the local authority links below. Recheck them before a special trip or unusual set-out because programs, prices and facility hours can change.

• San José Junk PickupNo-cost appointments, 12-item maximum and scheduling/set-out instructions.
• Accepted Items and Instructions3-foot separation, accepted furniture/appliances/electronics/tires and exclusions.
• Household Hazardous WasteSanta Clara County HHW route for chemicals, paint and other hazardous household material.