FAQ
FAQ Top Twelve
Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(510) 537-0757
After Hours
(510) 506-5821
The following facilities are open to residents of Alameda County. No appointments are needed for residents. Multi-family property owners must make an appointment and follow specific guidelines available at www.StopWaste.org/hhw.
Location |
Hours of Operation |
Fremont Facility 41149 Boyce Road, Fremont |
Wednesdays - Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Hayward Facility 2091 West Winton Avenue, Hayward |
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Livermore Facility 5584 La Ribera St, Livermore |
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Oakland Facility 2100 East 7th Street, Oakland |
Wednesdays - Fridays., 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Along with the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste facilities listed above, there are also Castro Valley locations that accept some types of household hazardous waste.
Location |
This Location Accepts |
CVSan Recycles Day Events Every April and August Canyon Middle School 19600 Cull Canyon Road, Castro Valley |
Paint: stain, shellac, solvents, thinners, additives (see below), oil paint, and latex paint. Adhesives: putty, caulk, epoxy, mortar, stucco, cement, and wood glue. Auto: fuel, waxes, batteries, additives, motor oil filters, and coolant/antifreeze. E-Waste: computers, TVs, radios, printers, electronic devices having significant circuit boards. Garden: sprays, fertilizers, ant traps, pesticides, herbicides, rat poison, and gopher bait. Miscellaneous: pool chemicals, photo chemicals, acids & caustics, household batteries, bleach & cleaners, and fluorescent bulbs. |
Kelly Moore 3090 Castro Valley Boulevard, Castro Valley |
Paint Interior and exterior architectural paint sold in containers of 5 gallons or less will be accepted (latex, acrylic, water-based, oil-based, enamel, deck coatings, primers, sealers, stains, shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, swimming pool paints, metal coatings, and rust preventatives). Both new and old paint can be dropped off, even if it is over 20 years old. Residents, trade painters, contractors, and businesses (that produce less than 27 gallons of hazardous waste per month) are eligible to participate. |
CVSan 21040 Marshall Street, Castro Valley |
Wall Mounted, Mercury-Switch Thermostats Please recycle the entire thermostat and do not remove the mercury switch or cover. If you have mercury switches that have been removed from thermostats, contact the Thermostat Recycling Corporation at 1-888-266-0550 for further guidance. For more information on thermostat recycling, please visit www.thermostat-recycle.org. |
Pete’s Ace Hardware 2569 Castro Valley Boulevard, Castro Valley |
Fluorescent Bulbs and Batteries Please drop off only during normal business hours. If you have large quantities of bulbs, place them in a box. |
Mattresses are accepted at CVSan’s April Recycles Day events.
You can also visit byebyemattress.com to search for recycling facilities and collection sites for your old mattresses.
If you cannot take advantage of the Bye Bye Mattress program, CVSan offers an annual on-call Bulky Goods Pick-Up. Mattresses are accepted within the 7 cubic yard limit. To schedule a Bulky Item Pick-Up call ACI at (510) 483-1400.
E-Waste options for Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) residents:
- Every April and August, residents can drop off e-waste at CVSan’s Recycles Day event.
- The following facilities are open to residents of Alameda County. No appointments are needed for residents. Multi-family property owners must make an appointment and follow specific guidelines available at www.StopWaste.org/hhw.
Location | Hours of Operation |
Fremont Facility 41149 Boyce Road, Fremont |
Wednesdays – Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
Hayward Facility 2091 West Winton Ave., Hayward |
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
Livermore Facility 5584 La Ribera St., Livermore |
Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
Oakland Facility 2100 East 7th Street, Oakland |
Wednesdays – Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
The single-family curbside collection program includes a blue Recyclables cart, a green Organics cart, and a gray Garbage cart.
–Single-family residents can request an additional blue Recyclables cart at no extra cost.
–Additional blue Recyclables carts (more than 2) will incur a cost.
–Additional green Organics carts (more than 1) will incur a cost.
If you wish to order an extra cart call ACI at (510) 483-1400
Wastewater Services
CVSan will assess the backup to determine if the blockage is in the public sewer line or the property owner’s private sewer lateral. CVSan will clear blockages that occur in the public sewer line only. Property owners are responsible for blockages that occur in their private sewer lateral, located within two (2) feet of the foundation wall of the building and extending to and including the connection to the public sewer line.
If it is determined that the public sewer line is blocked, only CVSan has the authority to clear the system. If the public sewer line is clear, the District’s representative may advise the property owner to contact a plumbing contractor to perform maintenance to their private sewer lateral.
Most sewer backups happen because the line is plugged with an obstruction. However, backups can be caused by several factors including the condition of the sanitary sewer system itself, natural phenomena such as earth movement, heavy rainfall, and the incorrect usage of the system by the public.
Some common backup causes are:
- Solids / debris – Typical solids that buildup in the pipe and cause backups are dirt, hair, bones, tampons, paper towels, kitty litter, diapers, broken dishware, garbage, concrete, and debris.
- Fat/Oil/Grease - When fat, oil or grease is discharged into a sewer system they will solidify and, after a while, can build up and plug drain lines in your building or complex. They can also plug the sewer lines owned by the District, thus increasing the maintenance cost to the District. Plugged sewers can also cause flooding of nearby private homes and businesses.
- Tree Root infiltration – Tree roots can cause backups. Roots can infiltrate the pipe system and block the wastewater flow.
- Water inflow/infiltration – Rainwater entering the public sewer line can cause system problems and overflows. If the sanitary sewers only transported wastewater, backups would only occur when obstructions were present in sewer pipes. However, during certain wet weather conditions, sanitary sewers can become overloaded with groundwater or storm water runoff so they become surcharged or overloaded. This results in backups into lower levels and basements, or slow running services.
- Structural defects in pipes and manholes – Significant sags, bellies in the line, cracks, holes, protruding laterals, misaligned pipe, offset and open joints and collapsing pipe material are all possible causes of backups.
Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(510) 537-0757
After Hours
(510) 506-5821
Solid Waste Services
Inside the Blue Recycling Cart: All clean paper, corrugated cardboard, brown bags and paper, paperboard, paper egg cartons, telephone books and magazines, clear and colored glass containers, aluminum foil and beverage containers, scrap steel and aluminum metals (not exceeding 40 pounds in weight nor two (2) feet in any dimension for any single item); steel including ”tin” cans, aerosol cans (empty, non-toxic products), bimetal containers, all plastics (#1-7) except expanded Polystyrene (EPS).
On top of the Blue Recycling Cart: Dry cell batteries (household batteries such as AAA, AA, B, C, D, 9V, and small “button” batteries; no liquid batteries such as automobile batteries).
Next to the Blue Recycling Cart: Flattened corrugated cardboard no larger than 4’ tall x 4’ wide.
Compost cleaning wipes and used facial tissue. Wipes must be compostable (paper/tree-based). Please note, cotton or fabric wipes must be disposed of in the garbage. Do not flush cotton or fabric wipes down the toilet, as they may cause a sewer back-up.
Paint is no longer accepted at the curb. All types of paint need to be taken to an Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste facility. Call (800) 606-6606 or (510) 670-6460 for more information.
Latex and water-based paint will be accepted at the CVSan Recycles Day. For more on paint visit www.household-hazwaste.org
Single-Family residents may place one-gallon screw-top containers curbside beside your collection carts on your regular collection day. You can recycle up to three (3) gallons per week of motor oil, transmission fluid, gear lube and other lubricants commonly used in cars and light trucks. Oil filters can be put in a heavyweight sealed clear plastic bag and placed curbside. Call ACI at (510) 483-1400 to request delivery of a Used Oil jug and filter bag kit.
Used Oil and filters may be dropped off at a Collection Center (see below).
Collection Centers in Castro Valley:
- Castro Valley Autohaus* 20697 Park Way (510) 581-4525
- Jiffy Lube* 2492 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 582-7677
- Kevin Hinckley Auto Tech* 5269 Crow Canyon Road (510) 881-1052
- O'Reilly Auto Parts** 2990 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 881-0761
- O'Reilly Auto Parts**15604 Hesperian Blvd. (510) 276-7822
- Quality Tune Up* 2780 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 887-9945
- RyNck Tire & Auto Center 3430 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 886-9500
- Sal's Foreign Car Service* 3343 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 582-5282
- SpeeDee Oil Change 3940 Castro Valley Blvd. (510) 886-9500
*Centers that also accept filters** Center that only collects motor oil; does not change oil.
Thanks to the partnership between Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan), Eden Medical Center, and the Alameda County Medication Disposal Initiative Workgroup, you can now drop off your pharmaceutical waste at Eden Medical Center for free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The location of the free public collection box is:
Eden Medical Center
20103 Lake Chabot Road
Castro Valley, CA 94546
You can also bring expired medications to an Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste facility.