Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Facility

Use the Drop-Off Facility to Dispose of Waste from a Home in San Francisco Please read all these instructions carefully.

Days & Hours

The facility is open 8 A.M. - 4 P.M. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only. We are closed on holidays, the day after Thanksgiving and December 26.

San Francisco Residents Only

Only residents of San Francisco may use the facility to bring hazardous waste from their own home. We require proof of residency, such as a driver's license. If you have a special situation, (you are cleaning out the home of a San Francisco resident who passed away), please call us for instructions: 415-330-1405.

Programs in Nearby Counties

(650) 363-4718 San Mateo County
(510) 670-6460 Alameda County
(415) 485-6806 Marin County

15 Gallon Limit

Do not bring more than 15 gallons of paint, oil, and other household chemicals (or 125 pounds of solid waste) per day. Be careful. Do not mix different materials. Be sure no containers are leaking.

Electronic Waste

The Hazardous Waste Facility does not handle computers, monitors, TVs, stereos, etc. but you can take up to 30 electronic items per month for free to our nearby public disposal area 8 A.M. - 4 P.M. any day. You can also donate electronics, working or not, to Goodwill drop off sites. For more information, please visit our Electronics Waste page.

Empty Containers

Do not bring empty containers. You may put empty spray cans (aerosols) and empty metal latex paint cans in your blue cart for recycling. Take off the lids and put them in your black garbage cart. Put all other types of empty hazardous waste containers in your black garbage cart for disposal - do not try and recycle them.

Neighborhood Sites

You can take motor oil, latex paint, fluorescent tubes and bulbs, and most batteries to drop-off sites closer to your home. (Walgreens accepts household batteries; Cole Hardware accepts latex paint.) For drop locations call us at 330-1405 or visit the City's EcoFinder

Asbestos

Pipes, tiles or other wastes containing asbestos must be wet with water and double bagged in heavy-duty plastic bags weighing no more than 30 pounds per bag. For packing instructions please visit our Asbestos page.

Acceptable Household Hazardous Waste

Please refer to the table below for common household hazardous waste items that we accept. We cannot list everything we accept here, but if it is a chemical from your home, we probably take it, unless it is listed as unacceptable in the table below. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Latex Paint	Use a drop off site in your neighborhood if you have five or less gallons of paint to recycle.
Fluorescent Tubes and Bulbs	Use a drop off site in your neighborhood if you have five or less fluorescent light bulbs and/or tubes to recycle. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder".
Household Batteries	Locate a drop off site in your neighborhood if all you have to recycle is batteries. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder".
Oil Paint and Other Finishes	Stains, lacquer, shellac and urethane.
Solvents and Thinners	Paint thinner, acetone, brush cleaner and mineral spirits.
Used Motor Oil and Auto Products	Auto Batteries, brake and transmission fluids, car wax.
Fuels:	Gasoline, kerosene, camping fuel, butane and propane (small tanks).
Cleaning Solutions	Ammonia, bleach, TSP, all purpose cleaners, metal polishes.
Pesticides and Other Garden Chemicals	Fertilizer, weed killer and sulfur.
Roofing Tar and Adhesives	Glue, caulk, solvent-based cement and silicone.
Lithium Batteries	Please put tape on the terminals/ends to prevent fires.
Photo-Chemicals	Photo-fix, developer and etching acids.
Aerosols	Spray paint and oven cleaners.
Asbestos	Please see our asbestos page for acceptance limits and bagging instructions.
Used Cooking Oil	Please read our used cooking oil page for information on how to recycle cooking oil.
Mercury-containing Thermometers	Thermostats and switches
Road Flares

Unacceptable Hazardous Waste

We do not accept any of the hazardous waste items listed in the table below.

Items We Do Not Accept	Why We Do Not Accept Them
Ammunition: Bullets, gun powder, shotgun shells - surrender to a police station along with guns. Marine Flares or Fireworks Gas Tanks/Cylinders: We do not accept tanks larger than 20 pounds (a typical barbecue tank is 20 pounds). Unknown Items: Unlabeled containers. Large Drums: We do not accept waste in containers larger than 5 gallons.	Permit Restrictions These are unacceptable because our permit prohibits us from accepting them.
Water Reactive Chemicals: Calcium carbide or sodium metal. Cyanide: We do not accept cyanides of any type Picric Acid: Call 911 immediately if you realize that you have this chemical in your home. It is extremely explosive and can blow up from simply handling it. Di-ethyl Ether: Call 911 immediately if you realize that you have this chemical in your home. This chemical comes in a "metal bottle, if it has white crystals around the stopper, it can explode.	Very Dangerous These chemicals are rarely found in a home. If you have them, it is probably because someone brought them home from an industrial site or job.
Medications: Do not put pills in toilet or drains. Smoke Detectors: Please dispose of smoke detectors in the trash.	Trash It is preferable and legal for you dispose of these items in your trash.

Business Waste

We are required to turn away waste from businesses, but we have a special program that works by appointment for small businesses with small amounts of waste. For more information, please visit our Small Business page.

Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents who are cleaning out a home in order to get it ready for sale should ask the resident or home owner to take care of the waste. Real estate agents may not use the household facility except in special circumstances; and they must call 330-1425 to make an appointment and pay the fees charged to VSQG businesses.

If You Don't Drive

We have a pick-up service for residents. To request an appointment, make a list of what you have and call 330-1405. If we have a waiting list, priority is given to disabled residents. For more information, please visit our HHW Pick-Up Program page.

Directions From Downtown

Go south on Highway 101. Exit at Monster Park / Tunnel Ave. (after the Cow Palace Exit). Go straight on Beatty Road. Turn right on Tunnel Avenue. Go one block. Turn right on Recycle Road and go about 500 feet. If you see a line of vehicles with trash, go around them in the left lane. The Hazardous Waste Facility is on the left.

Directions From the Cow Palace

Go east on Geneva Avenue until you reach Bayshore Blvd. Turn left on Bayshore. After a few blocks, turn right on Blanken, then a quick right on Tunnel. Between 401 and 501 Tunnel Ave, turn left on Recycle Road and go 500 feet.

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