Household Hazardous Waste Facility

Dispose of Waste from a Residence in San Francisco

Please read all these instructions carefully.
Truck 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. Map and Directions

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.

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.

Empty Containers
Do not bring empty containers. You may put empty aerosol spray cans and empty latex (acrylic or water based) paint cans into your recycle collection bin. ALL nozzles, caps and lids MUST BE REMOVED from cans and placed separately into the recycle collection bin. Put all other types of empty household hazardous waste containers into your landfill collection bin for disposal (follow disposal instructions on the container's label) - do not try to recycle these containers.
Garden Chemicals Printable Documents
The Household Hazardous Waste flyer contains information about our facility and the items we accept for disposal.

This flyer is available in the following languages: You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.


Acceptable Household Hazardous Waste
Latex Paint Use a drop off site in your neighborhood if you have five or less gallons of paint to recycle. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder".
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".

Please visit out Battery Recycling Program page for information about our apartment bucket collection and residential pick-up programs.
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. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder".
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 Household Hazardous Waste
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.

Small propane tanks are accepted at all Cole Hardware Stores. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder".
  • 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.
The City has an alternative option for safe disposal. Visit our Expired Medications page for more information.

Additional Information

Programs in Nearby Counties


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

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.