Alameda County Industries (ACI)

Alameda County Industries (ACI) has a 10-year franchise agreement for municipal solid waste collection and processing services with Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan), from May 1, 2019 to June 30, 2029. ACI drives and operates the collection vehicles.

Place carts curbside by 6:00 a.m. (street/curbside by 5:00 a.m. in the Canyonlands annexation area) on your collection day with their handles to the curb. Remove carts from the curb after service.

Residential collection is provided Monday - Friday no earlier than 6:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. in the Canyonlands annexation area).

Business collection is provided Monday - Saturday no earlier than 4:00 a.m. (except within 200 feet of residential properties).

No service is provided on the following holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Holiday collection services are one day later through Saturday. Affected customers with Saturday service are contacted directly by ACI for coordination.

Materials collected from recycling carts and bins are transported directly from collection routes in CVSan to the ACI Material Recovery Facility in San Leandro. The recyclable materials are sorted and prepared for shipment by ACI to various processors. 

Visit cvsan.org/facilitiestour to learn more.

Organics are transported directly from the collection routes in CVSan to the ACI transfer facility in San Leandro. The organic materials are then transferred to Napa Recycling and Composting Facility in Napa, California.

ACI provides a franchised collection of recycling, organics, and garbage services; dry cell batteries (household batteries such as AAA, AA, B, C, D, 9V, and small “button” batteries) recycling; construction and demolition debris collection; and two Recycles Day events each year for residents, multi-family complexes, and commercial businesses. No automotive, lithium-ion or liquid batteries are accepted. Please tape terminals on 9-volt batteries. Single and multi-family residents will receive one annual on-call Bulky & Reuse Pick-Up at no charge. Additional on-call Bulky & Reuse Pick-Ups can be arranged for a fee. Commercial customers can receive a Bulky & Reuse Pick-Up for a fee. Single-family residents will receive curbside used motor oil and filter collection, as well as curbside, used cooking oil collection. Single-family residents will also receive curbside textile recycling during the first full week of June and the first full week of October.

Inside the Blue Recycling Cart: All clean paper, corrugated cardboard, brown bags, paperboard, paper egg cartons, shelf-stable (foil-lined) 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 foam.

On top of the Blue Recycling Cart in a sealed plastic bag: Dry cell batteries (household batteries such as AAA, AA, B, C, D, 9V, and small “button” batteries). No automotive, lithium-ion or liquid batteries are accepted. Please tape terminals on 9-volt batteries.

Next to the Blue Recycling Cart: Flattened corrugated cardboard no larger than 4’ tall x 4’ wide that does not fit inside the blue recycling cart, used cooking oil in approved containers, and used motor oil and filters in approved containers 

The following should be placed in organics: food scraps, waxed paper cartons and paper egg cartons, shredded paper in paper bags, yard trimmings, uncoated wood and chips, cactus and palm, food-soiled paper containers, paper towels, paper napkins, paper plates and paper cups.

The following should be placed in the garbage: foam plastic, juice boxes and pouches, non-fluorescent light bulbs, hoses and wire, sheet glass (window, mirrors, etc.), treated wood (painted and stained), diapers and personal hygiene products, glassware and ceramics, cat litter and non-vegetarian pet feces.

Single-family residents may place up to three (3) gallons of cooking oil curbside per week, next to the blue recycling cart for collection.

Containers set out curbside must be labeled “Cooking Oil” and the used oil must be in screw-top plastic containers that are no taller than 12 inches in height. The cooking oil’s original container can be used if it meets these specifications. If using a different container, it must be clean, dry, and must not contain any residue. 

Single-Family residents may place up to three (3) gallons of motor oil and other accepted auto fluids curbside per week, next to the blue recycling cart for collection.

Motor oil and other accepted auto fluids may be set out using an original container. Containers that are larger than a 5-quart size will not be accepted.

Motor oil and other accepted auto fluids may also be set out using a Used Oil Recycling Kit. To request a kit, contact ACI Customer Service at (510) 483-1400 or info@alamedacountyindustries.com. Kits include a secure screw-top gallon container for oil collection, and a CVSan zipper-lock plastic bag for the oil filter.

Filters must be set out in a CVSan zipper-lock filter bag. Please do not use your own bag. Filter bags can be requested by contacting ACI Customer Service.

Replacement Kits: 

• Residents who set out their oil and filter using a recycling kit will receive a full replacement kit from ACI.
• Residents who set out their oil in an original container and their filter in a CVSan zipper-lock filter bag will receive a replacement filter bag only.
• Acceptable auto fluids: used motor oil, transmission fluid, gear lube and other lubricant oils commonly used in cars and light trucks, crankcase fluid, differential fluid, hydraulic fluid and transmission fluid. These fluids can be combined in the collection container provided with the Used Oil Recycling Kit. Anti-freeze and brake fluid are not accepted. 

Multi-family residents may take used motor oil and filters to a Household Hazardous Waste facility or a Certified Collection Center. Visit cvsan.org/UsedOil for details.

Twice a year, residents can set out textiles that are clean and reusable (clothing, linens, etc.), and recyclable but no longer suitable for reuse (stained, worn, have holes, etc.) to be sorted for reuse and recycling. Textile collection week will fall on the first full week of June and October of each year. On your pick-up day during these two weeks, place bagged textiles at the curb next to the blue recycling cart for collection. Please do not set out textiles that are wet, moldy, or have human biowaste, blood, chemicals, or motor oil on them. No light-up shoes or clothes. No mattresses, toppers, or pillows. Stuffed animals without batteries are accepted. See Textile Recycling page for more details.  

Bagged textiles may also be brought twice a year to CVSan’s Recycles Day events. Customers will not receive a tax-deductible receipt for items that are set out for curbside collection or brought to Recycles Day.

Because of the toxic chemicals that can leak from batteries that end up in a landfill, it is against the law to throw any battery (including household batteries) into the garbage. Single-family and multi-family residents with blue recycling cart service may participate in CVSan’s curbside battery recycling program by placing used dry cell batteries (household batteries such as AAA, AA, B, C, D, 9V, and small “button” batteries) in a sealed clear plastic bag on top of your blue recycling cart on your service day. Do not place batteries inside any cart. No automotive, lithium-ion or liquid batteries are accepted. Please tape terminals on 9-volt batteries.

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. Paint is also accepted at CVSan’s July Recycles Day event. Visit cvsan.org/HHW to find more ways to recycle paint.

See What Do I Do With? page for answers to questions on a range of materials and tricky items. Another good tool is the Re:Source page by StopWaste.org.

Customers that have improper set outs of their carts/bins on collection day or have a significant level of materials placed in the incorrect carts/bins (ex.: garbage materials placed in the organics cart/bin) may receive a notice from ACI. Notices will be attached to your carts/bins and will explain the problem with your set out and how to correct it.

A Courtesy Notice is a friendly reminder to help ACI collect your recycling, organics, and garbage safely and efficiently. Your containers will be serviced.

Residents living in the Canyonlands annexation area are eligible to schedule one on-call Bulky and Reuse Pick-Up per calendar year at no charge. Additional Bulky and Reuse Pick-Ups can be scheduled for a fee. Services also include curbside textile collection and curbside used cooking oil collection (see above for details).

Single-family: Residents receive weekly curbside recycling, organics, and garbage collection services. Residents can set out used cooking oil curbside, receive textile collection four times a year during Textile Collection Week and Recycles Day, and schedule one on-call Bulky and Reuse Pick-Up per calendar year. 

Multi-Family: Multi-family complexes that subscribe to plastic cart service receive weekly recycling, organics, and garbage collection services; The property owner/manager can schedule one on-call Bulky and Reuse Pick-Up per calendar year.

Multi-family complexes that subscribe to 1-3 cubic yard metal bin service can combine service of any two of the three material types (recycling, organics, or garbage) into a custom bundle plan. With the custom bundle option, the rate is determined by the bin size and pickup frequency of one material type and includes an equivalent level of service for the second material type at no additional charge. Service for the third material type can be added à la carte at an additional rate. This new bundle service option will help you increase recycling and organics services to meet Organics Reduction and Recycling Ordinance (ORRO) requirements and minimize costs in a way that fits your needs. For example: In a recycle/organics custom bundle plan, a multi-family complex that subscribes to a 3-cubic yard or smaller recycling bin will receive an equivalent level of organics service at no additional charge. The complex can subscribe to any level of garbage service at an additional rate.

Commercial: Businesses that subscribe to plastic cart or 1-3 cubic yard metal bin service can combine service of any two of the three material types (recycling, organics, or garbage) into a custom bundle plan. With this new custom bundle option, the rate is determined by the bin size and pickup frequency of one material type and includes an equivalent level of service for the second material type at no additional charge. Service for the third material type can be added à la carte at an additional rate. The custom bundle service option will help you increase recycling and organics services to meet ORRO requirements and minimize costs in a way that fits your needs. Commercial customers in the Canyonlands annexation area may only bundle recycling and garbage because organics service is currently not offered. For example, in an organics/garbage custom bundle plan, a business that subscribes to a 96-gallon plastic organics cart will receive an equivalent level of garbage service at no additional charge. The complex can subscribe to any level of recycling service at an additional rate.

As the property owner, you have a few options.
1. Property owners can either manage their bill for a rented site and have the invoice mailed to their mailing address or to their property manager.
2. Property owners can advise the tenant to manage the bill on the property owner’s behalf, and the tenant will furnish ACI with mailing address (service address, P.O. Box, etc.).

For additional billing questions, please contact ACI at (510) 483-1400.

CVSan owns the plastic carts. ACI owns the metal bins. Once materials are placed inside a cart or bin and placed at the curb for collection, materials become the property of ACI.

The ACI vehicles are Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles. That means that they are fueled with natural gas and do not use diesel fuel. These vehicles are quieter and cleaner burning.

The vehicles that service plastic carts are fully-automated, which means that the driver will be sitting inside the vehicle and will use an automated arm to pick up and empty the contents of your cart into the collection vehicle. Please place carts at least two feet apart and away from parked cars and other obstructions whenever possible.

CVSan has a Curbside Exemption and a Garbage Exemption for single-family residents.

The Curbside Exemption is available via a request process for those households where no adult in the household is able to wheel the cart to the curb for collection service. This exemption is valid for one year. A doctor’s letter or certificate from the Department of Motor Vehicles must accompany the request. The timeframe for review and notification of exemption status will be 20 business days. Residents must reapply for a Curbside Exemption each year. Recycling service is mandatory.

A Garbage Exemption is available via a request process and is granted for a one-year period. Residents must reapply for a Garbage Exemption each year and select one of four criteria: no garbage is generated on the premises, food is not prepared or consumed on the premises, garbage is delivered to an authorized disposal facility (receipts attached), or because garbage service will be shared with another owner or occupant within CVSan (letter from customer sharing service attached). The timeframe for review and notification of exemption status will be 20 business days. See the Rates page for garbage-exempt customer rates.

CVSan has a Mandatory Commercial Recycling Exemption for commercial businesses. The Mandatory Commercial Recycling Exemption is available via a request process. If you wish to be considered for an exemption from Castro Valley Sanitary District's (CVSan’s) mandatory recycling service (ACI is the hauler), submit the "Commercial Recycling Exemption Form" to CVSan’s offices at 21040 Marshall Street, Castro Valley, CA 94546 or contact@cvsan.org.

Learn All About Compost or call (510) 444-SOIL for information about home composting. Remember that many items not compostable at home (food-soiled paper, meat, and cheese, bread products) can be placed in your green organics cart for composting. CVSan residents can pick up a food scrap recycling pail at CVSan offices located at 21040 Marshall Street.

Visit the Food Scrap Recycling page for more information.

Yes, single-family residents may receive up to a 96-gallon cart for recycling and/or organics at no additional charge. Please contact ACI at (510) 483-1400 to request a larger sized recycling or organics cart.

Single-family residents may request a second cart for recycling no additional charge. A second organics cart can be requested for an additional fee. Please contact ACI at (510) 483-1400 to arrange delivery.

Visit the Reduce Your Waste Size Program page for information.

Single-family residents may purchase ACI Paper Garden Bags for occasional extra yard trimmings and Extra Service Tags for occasional garbage overages by calling (510) 483-1400 or at the following location: Alameda County Industries - 610 Aladdin Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577

See Extra Service Tags and Paper Garden Bags page for more information.

Residents requesting Paper Garden Bags sent via mail will have postage fees added – please call ACI at (510) 483-1400 for the current postal rate. Tags can be sent via mail at no additional cost. Bag-Its are no longer available for sale. Any Bag-Its, Extra Service Tags, and Paper Garden Bags purchased prior to May 1, 2019, will continue to be collected and processed by ACI. All other kinds of paper plant debris bags will not be collected. 

Instructions for Set out: All Paper Garden Bags or garbage bags with Extra Service Tags affixed may be set out for collection next to your carts on your regular collection day.

Single-Family residents may flatten corrugated cardboard no larger than 4’ tall x 4’ wide and place beside the blue recycling cart for collection.

Call the Alameda County Recycling Hotline toll-free at (877) STOPWASTE or visit Re:Source .

Visit Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste‘s website for locations and hours of operation. For further information contact HHW at (800) 606-6606.

Locally, you can purchase a sharps disposal container from local drugstores (Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens) or from an Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste facility. CVSan residents may request one sharps disposal container per year at no charge by completing a Donation and Supply Request Form. Pick-up will be at CVSan offices located at 21040 Marshall Street.

You can bring expired medications to an Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste facility. Expired medications are also accepted at the CVS Pharmacy located at 3667 Castro Valley Blvd. Visit Pharmaceuticals page for more information.

In Alameda County, Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris management is mandatory (www.acpwa.org). ACI is the exclusive franchised hauler for CVSan through June 30, 2029. This means that ACI is the only authorized provider of roll-off debris boxes in CVSan. ACI has 6, 14, 20, 30, and 40 cubic yard dumpsters available for C&D.

Please call ACI at (510) 483-1400 to report missed collection.

Please contact ACI at (510) 483-1400 to report a lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair cart. Residents and businesses shall be entitled to one (1) replacement of each type of cart at no cost between May 1, 2019 and June 30, 2029. It should take about 5 business days to receive a replacement.

Please contact ACI at (510) 483-1400 to request the repair of a cart. It should take about 5 business days to receive a replacement cart.

Call Code Enforcement to report carts that have been out longer than 24 hours after collection day (510) 670-5408.