Photo by Carlos Colonia
Mill Valley Refuse Service provides commercial garbage, recycling, and compost collection service to the Southern Marin communities of Almonte, Alto, Belvedere, Corte Madera, Homestead, Mill Valley, Strawberry, Tiburon and several unincorporated areas of Marin County.
We also rent debris boxes (a.k.a dumpsters) for cleanups or remodels, portable toilets for job sites or events, and storage containers.
All recyclables (glass, cans, paper etc.) can be placed in your recycle cart(s) together.
Not sure how to properly dispose of something? Below we’ve listed common materials that can and can’t go in each of your carts.
You can also search our What Goes Where tool to find out if a particular material can be reused, recycled, composted, or disposed of in your trash.
The County of Marin and the state of California are committed to accelerating climate progress by ensuring only garbage goes to landfills, thereby reducing methane emissions. Proper waste sorting helps protect the environment, conserve resources, and comply with state laws.
THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PART!
* If possible, reuse your plastic bags and film or to the designated drop-off location at your local supermarket for recycling.
It’s important — and the law — to place all organic waste in your curbside compost cart to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep valuable materials out of landfills. California’s SB 1383 law mandates organics recycling to cut landfill methane emissions, protect the environment, and recover natural resources for future generations.
Place accepted items loose in the compost cart.
You may also place one (1) tied bundle of cuttings 2ft x 5ft next to the cart per week.
Instead of the Compost Cart you may put three (3) tied bundles 2ft x 5ft at the curb on your scheduled pick-up day.
We are unable to accept plastics labeled as compostable or biodegradable. Including these items would jeopardize the integrity of the compost produced by WM EarthCare™, which holds an organic certification from the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). OMRI standards forbid compostable or biodegradable plastics because many contain petroleum and degrade into microplastics, while others decompose too slowly. It is also difficult to differentiate between compostable and non-compostable plastics.
Please place any compostable or biodegradable plastics in your garbage cart or bin.
To help reduce greenhouse gases and protect our environment, California now requires everyone to sort their waste: compost food scraps and yard trimmings, and recycle paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles.
California is standardizing cart colors to make it easier to properly separate recycling, compost, and landfill materials, regardless of your location.
For our commercial and apartment customers:
Additionally, some businesses and complexes will have a 1- or 2-yard container specifically for cardboard recycling.
If your business or complex DOES NOT have a separate cardboard container, you may place cardboard in the mixed Recycle Cart. Flatten, but do not cut into small pieces. If cardboard does not fit in the cart, it must be packed in 3’x3’x1′ bundles or smaller and tied with twine or string. Set bundles next to cart on pickup day.
If your business or complex has a separate cardboard container please flatten and place cardboard (only) in this container.
When a business owner signs up for service, our customer support representative will review service and cart options to ensure the right fit for your business size.
If you have any questions or want to make changes to your service, please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760, Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Service Rates include weekly garbage, recycling, and compost collection service. MVRS provides one garbage cart, one 64-gallon compost cart (or two 32-gallon compost carts), and an unlimited number of recycle carts upon request.
This is the base rate for garbage service for carts or containers that are one (1) to five (5) feet from the street. We will also pick up trash carts from inside a trash enclosure, provided it is within five (5) feet from the street.
Note: if our service trucks are able to drive up to trash enclosures on a commercial property’s parking lot or service alley, and trash containers are within five (5) feet of where the truck can park, MVRS will charge the same as if the cans or containers were at curbside.
When your carts or containers are visible from the street, no more than 25 feet from the street, and accessible to a wheeled cart (no steps allowed). The rate is an additional $8 per can or container, per month. Carts or containers will be left empty at the street unless you request they be returned for an additional $8 per cart or container per month.
On-Premise Plus Service is defined as carts or containers not visible from the street or beyond 25 feet from the street, but accessible to a wheeled cart (no steps allowed). The rate is an additional $18 per cart, per month. Carts or containers will be left empty at the street unless you request they be returned for an additional $18 per cart or container per month.
GARBAGE OPTIONS | COMPOST OPTION | RECYCLING OPTIONS |
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Why only one size? Compost gets heavy! We find it’s better to have multiple smaller carts than one big one for commercial compost. |
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California is in the process of standardizing cart colors to make it easier to properly separate materials to recycle, compost, or landfill no matter where you are.
If you have an all BROWN cart (brown body, brown lid) for recycling, please continue to use it for recycling. As these brown carts become non-serviceable, we will replace them with the new standardized all BLUE carts.
New commercial customers receive all BLUE carts for recycling.
When a business owner signs up for service, our customer support representative will review service and cart options to ensure the right fit for your business size.
If you have any questions or want to make changes to your service, please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760, Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Commercial rates start with weekly pickup of garbage, recycling, and compost carts, but ultimately depend on the number of carts or containers used and frequency of pickup requested.
Rates, terms, and conditions for each service area are provided in the PDF documents below.
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
2026-2027
California law requires all generators of waste (businesses, public entities, and single/multifamily residents) to properly sort their waste, by either placing food scraps, food/beverage soiled paper products, and yard trimmings in the compost cart or self-hauling compostable material to a composting facility or program. Residents must also place recyclables such as paper and cardboard, (and cans and bottles) in the recycling cart. Jurisdictions (cities, counties, and special districts) have the authority to assess a fine for non-compliance.
Your carts will not be dumped if heavily contaminated.
Instead, our driver will leave a Violation Notice on the cart handle describing the contaminant observed in the cart and provide an opportunity to clean out the cart for pick up the following week. You may opt to request a special pickup (for a fee) after cleaning the cart.
When a cart is tagged, a sticker that describes a number of the most common contaminants will be placed on the cart lid as a permanent reminder of what should NOT be put in the cart.
If you receive a Violation Notice and want to schedule a special pickup, please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., at (415) 457-9760. Our customer support team will be happy to assist you.
If your business is experiencing high volumes of garbage, recycling, and compost on the weekends, it may be time to add weekend collection service to your regular collection schedule. Additional fees apply.
Getting set up is easy!
Send us an email or call our office Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at (415) 457-9760.
Mill Valley Refuse Service does not offer curbside pickup of hazardous waste for commercial customers. Instead, you can use the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility in San Rafael for safe disposal of approved hazardous materials.
Food service businesses (any business; such as a restaurant, delicatessen, coffee house, or supermarket; that is engaged, at whole or in part, with the preparation and service of food to the public) produce larger volumes of food scraps and are likely to require more compost carts and perhaps a higher frequency of pickups. You might also be eligible to participate in the Food 2 Energy program. Please be sure to speak to one of our customer support representatives about options available to you.
Some commercial food generators are required by California law to donate edible food. Learn more about SB 1383.
Garbage collected by Mill Valley Refuse service is taken to the Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center in Novato.
Compost collected by Mill Valley Refuse service is taken to the Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center where it is processed into Homegrown Compost, a premium, affordable compost which you can purchase directly from The Redwood Landfill’s WM EarthCare™ Center in Novato.
California law (SB 1383) requires everyone in California – from residents and businesses to schools, apartments, and government buildings – to sort their organic waste properly so it doesn’t end up in landfills. Diverting organic waste from landfill is an integral part of the state’s climate change program and can significantly reduce the impacts of climate change in our lifetime.
All recycling collected by Mill Valley Refuse service is taken to the Marin Resource Recovery Center where it is sorted to be processed into raw materials, which are then used to create new products, reducing the need for virgin resources and minimizing environmental impact.
California law (SB 1383) requires everyone in California – from residents and businesses to schools, apartments, and government buildings – to sort recyclable and compostable materials into the appropriate containers.
