Photo by Carlos Colonia

Residential Service

Mill Valley Refuse Service provides residential 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 household cleanups or remodels, portable toilets for job sites or events, and storage containers.

residential collection service

  • Residential homes use four carts: one each for garbage, compost, paper recycling, and container recycling.
  • Carts must be at the street by 6:00 a.m. on your designated pickup day.
  • Please keep our drivers safe by not overloading your carts and sticking to the 60-pound weight limit. Due to the narrow streets and hills in many of our service areas, our drivers manually empty your carts, just as they have since we began serving Marin in 1906. 
  • Proper waste sorting helps protect the environment, conserve resources, and comply with state laws. Help us reach Marin’s zero waste goals by carefully considering what you send to the landfill.

Photo by Carlos Colonia

Weekly Collection

Garbage and compost are picked up every week.

MVRS Garbage Cart Thumbnail

Wrappers, milk cartons, stretchy plastic, broken glass, compostable plastics, pet waste.

MVRS Compost Cart Thumbnail

Food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste (trimmings) only. Compost: It’s the law!

Alternating Week Collection

Paper recycling is picked up one week, and container recycling is picked up the next on an Alternating Week Pickup Schedule.

MVRS Paper Recycle Cart Thumbnail

Mixed paper, unwaxed/uncoated cardboard and paperboard.

Blue or brown with blue lid carts for recycling

Glass bottles and jars, metal lids, cans, and containers, plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs.

COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS

In addition to normal weekly collection of your garbage, recycling, and compost carts, we offer the following services for free so that you can safely dispose of your waste.

Images of household batteries that can be a fire danger

When scheduled in advance, we can collect and safely dispose of household hazardous waste such as household batteries, latex paint, computers monitors, or used motor oil.. 

Colorful garbage bags in a pile for curbside cleanups

A limited number of free curbside cleanups are included with your regular residential garbage service when scheduled in advance of your pickup day.

What Goes Where

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!

MVRS Garbage Cart Thumbnail
  • Everything in your garbage cart goes directly to landfill.
  • Garbage should be bagged.

 

Items Accepted in Garbage

* If possible, reuse your plastic bags and film or to the designated drop-off location at your local supermarket for recycling.

MVRS Items accepted in the gray garbage cart: wrappers, soft plastics, coated paper

Items Not Accepted in Garbage

Garbage Cart Nos like recyclables, compostables and HHW
MVRS Compost Cart Thumbnail

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.

Items Accepted in Compost

Food Scraps
Food-Soiled Paper
Yard & Garden Waste

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.

MVRS Compost Cart Acceptable items: food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard trimmings

Items Not Accepted in Compost

Compost Green Cart Nos like plastic bags, compostable plastics

Compostable plastic

Compostable / biodegradable bags, cup and cutlery which belong in garbage

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.

compost it’s the law

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.

Organics recycling materials in a pile
MVRS Paper Recycle Cart Thumbnail

The brown cart with the blue lid is for clean paper and cardboard material only.

Please keep paper separate from container recycling before placing in the cart to prevent contamination.

Items Accepted in Paper Recycling

Stacked, flattened cardboard wrapped in twineIf cardboard does not fit in the cart, it must be packed in 4’x4’x4′ bundles or smaller and tied with twine or string. Set bundles next to cart on pickup day.

Items accepted in the MVRS paper recycle cart: cardboard, paper, paperboard

Items Not Accepted in Paper Recycling

Blue or brown with blue lid carts for recycling

The Container Cart is for containers only (i.e. glass jars and bottles, metal and aluminum cans, and plastic bottles).

  • All items must be rinsed or wiped clean of food residue.
  • Do not bag recyclables, they should be placed loose in the cart.
  • Please keep containers separate from paper recycling before placing in the cart to prevent contamination.
  • See below for information about the two cart colors.

Items Accepted in Container Recycling

Paper Items accepted in the MVRS container recycle cart: glass, metal and plastic jugs, tubs and bottles

Items Not Accepted in Container Recycling

*These items are considered hazardous wastes and should be  disposed of properly. See our Household Hazardous Waste page.

Why two color carts?

Blue or brown with blue lid carts for container recyclingCalifornia 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), please continue to use it for container recycling. As these brown carts become non-serviceable, we will replace them with the new standardized all BLUE carts.

New residential customers receive all BLUE carts for container recycling. 

Search for a material
with our what goes where tool

  1. Enter the Material: Type the name of the item you want to dispose of into the search bar. Instead of specific brand names or products, use general categories. For example, instead of “cottage cheese container,” search for “plastic tub.” This will help you find the correct disposal method more easily.
  2. Check the Results: Our tool will tell you if the item can be reused, recycled, composted, should go in the trash, or requires special handling.

Recycling Pickup Calendar

Paper recycling (brown cart with blue lid) is picked up one week, and container recycling (brown cart with brown lid or all blue cart) are picked up the next on an alternating week pickup schedule as indicated in the calendar below. 

To add the reoccurring recycling schedule from the Google Calendar follow these steps. You’ll need to add both the Container and Paper cart evetns as they are individual recurring events.


ADDING TO GOOGLE CALENDAR:

  1. Open the Event Link: Click on the link to the public Google Calendar event you want to add.
  2. Sign in to Google: Make sure you are signed into your Google account.
  3. Add to Calendar:
    • Click the “Add to Calendar” button or the “+” icon.
    • Confirm by clicking “Add” when prompted.

 

ADDING TO APPLE CALENDAR (iPHONE/iPAD):

  1. Open the Event Link: Click on the link to the public Google Calendar event.
  2. Copy the URL: Copy the URL of the public Google Calendar.
  3. Open Settings: Go to the Settings app on your device.
  4. Add Account:
    • Tap “Calendar”, then “Accounts”, then “Add Account”.
    • Select “Other”, then “Add Subscribed Calendar”.
  5. Paste the URL: Paste the copied URL in the Server field.
  6. Save: Tap “Next”, then “Save”.

 

ADDING TO OUTLOOK CALENDAR:

  1. Open the Event Link: Click on the link to the public Google Calendar event.
  2. Copy the URL: Copy the URL of the public Google Calendar.
  3. Open Outlook: Open your Outlook account.
  4. Add Calendar:
    • Go to the Calendar view.
    • Select “Add Calendar” from the toolbar, then “From Internet”.

Residential Service Information

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. Our customer support team will be happy to assist you.

Residents may request to put a vacation hold on service for a minimum of three months without any reactivation fee. For vacation holds less than three months, a $20 reactivation fee will apply. (Note: residents within the Mill Valley city limits only may request a vacation hold for a minimum of three weeks without a reactivation fee.)

Please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760 for more information.

Residential rates include the weekly pickup of garbage, recycling, and compost carts, plus free household hazardous waste pickups, and a limited number of free curbside cleanups. Rates are determined by the service area, level of service, and the number and size of garbage carts you use.

The rates and terms and conditions for each area we service can be found below. For information on special low-income rates, see the Terms and Conditions for the area in which you live, or give our office a call.

If you are unable to bring your trash can to the curb because you are elderly (defined as 70 years or older) or disabled, simply download the MVRS Exemption Form, sign and return it to us. We will help you find a mutually agreeable location on your property where you can place your trash can for our drivers to collect at the regular curbside rate.

Residential customers are billed quarterly. Set up or log in to your account to pay your bill online or set up reoccurring payments.

What is Contamination?

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.

Recycling contamination

  • Occurs when non-recyclable materials or garbage are mistakenly placed in the recycling cart. These unwanted items can disrupt the recycling process and reduce the quality of recyclable materials.
  • View our Recycling Violation Notice (pdf).

Compost contamination

  • Occurs when non-compostable items, like plastic or metal, are put into the compost cart. These contaminants can interfere with the composting process and lower the quality of the resulting compost.
  • View our Compost Violation Notice (pdf).

GARBAGE contamination

  • Occurs when items that could be recycled or composted, such as paper, plastics, or organic waste, or hazardous items end up in the garbage cart. This prevents these materials from being properly processed and reused and is harmful to the environment.
  • View our Garbage Violation Notice (pdf).

contamination violations

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.

We make every effort to provide the best service possible. If your carts are skipped on your regular service day, 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. Our customer support team will be happy to assist you.

We will pick up your cart or return your call the following morning.

If you have any extra garbage, compost, or recycling that does not fit inside your regular cart(s), please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760 — at least a day before your pickup — to place an order for the extra pickup. Additional fees apply.

Marin residents can drop off household hazardous waste for free at the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility in San Rafael.

We also offer free curbside pickup of approved hazardous wastes for residential customers. Visit our Residential Household Hazardous Waste page  for details on accepted materials and scheduling.

Schedule your free curbside cleanup in advance as part of your regular residential garbage service. Visit our Residential Curbside Cleanup page for details on accepted materials and scheduling.

Beyond the Cart: Where Does Your Waste Go?