Portola Valley

Portola Valley’s sorting program is already SB 1383 compliant!

Only yard trimmings are accepted in your green cart. Food scraps must remain in the gray mixed compostables cart and GreenWaste will sort and process the organic material.

GreenWaste has been providing service to Portola Valley since 2002. Portola Valley customers receive Mixed Compostables, Recyclable Materials and Yard Trimmings service. All materials are then sorted and processed at the GreenWaste Material Recovery Facility, Northern California’s premier solid waste and recyclables processing facility.

Here, more than 80% of materials are diverted from the landfill. Organics material is sorted and transformed into nutrient rich compost at the GreenWaste Z-Best Composting Facility and recyclable materials are sorted, bailed, and sent for further processing. Learn more about our state-of-the-art facilities.

Omar Lopez, General Manager

Read Our Latest Newsletter

Customer Service

Phone:
650.568.9900

Email:
customerservice@greenwaste.com

Upcoming Events

Holiday Collection Schedule

GreenWaste provides regular collection services on all holidays except New Year’s, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. If your collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, your collection will be delayed by one day.

Residential
Business

Single-family residents in Portola Valley receive weekly collection service of Mixed Compostables, Recyclable Materials and Yard Trimmings (if applicable). All materials must be ready for collection no later than 8:00AM on your normal collection day. Contents cannot exceed the weight limits listed on the cart or 150 lbs. (whichever is less).

MIXED COMPOSTABLES: Residents may choose subscription volumes of 20-, 32-, 64- or 96-gallons for weekly collection in Gray carts provided by GreenWaste.

Residents located along a Limited Accessibility Street and/or residents who set their carts On-Premises are provided up to two (2) 96-gallon ADDITIONAL Gray Carts for no additional charge.

RECYCLABLE MATERIALS: Residents are provided up to two (2) Blue 96-gallon carts for Recyclable Material collection at no additional charge.

YARD TRIMMINGS: Residents located along a Full Accessibility Street and who set their carts Curbside are provided up to three (3) Green 96-gallon carts for Yard Trimmings collection at no additional charge.

Extra Services

ON-PREMISES SERVICE: Residents may request that GreenWaste perform Drive-on and/or Walk-on Service to collect carts on-property for an additional fee.

ON-CALL CLEAN-UPS: Residents may request up to two (2) On-Call Clean-ups per year at no additional charge. Call Customer Service at least 48-hours in advance to schedule collection of either two (2) bulky items OR three (3) cans of Yard Trimmings.

BULKY ITEM: Residents may request the collection of bulky items (beyond those included in the On-Call Clean Up) for a fee. Call Customer Service at least 48-hours in advance.

MIXED COMPOSTABLES VOUCHER: Residents may utilize two (2) vouchers (provided in the mail annually) to periodically set out up to 96-gal of extra Mixed Compostables at no additional charge.

EXTRA MATERIAL: Residents may place extra material in labeled 32-gal cans or bags for collection at an additional charge. Collection on a day other than the regularly scheduled service day will incur an additional fee.

If using bags: Recyclables must be in a clear or translucent bag, and Yard Trimmings must be in a paper bag.

HOLIDAY TREES: On service day, residents may place unornamented trees (cut to no longer than five (5) foot lengths, shorter preferred) Curbside, next to service carts, for Yard Trimmings collection. Trees are collected for no additional charge between December 26 and January 25 of each year.

USED MOTOR OIL AND FILTERS: Residents may set out used motor oil (in plastic containers with a screw on lid only) and filters (in sealed plastic bags only), next to their Blue Cart, for collection at no additional charge. A free oil jug can be requested by calling Customer Service.

HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES: Residents may set out dry cell household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs in a sealed, reusable clear zipper type bag, placed on top of the Blue Cart, for collection at no additional charge.

Billing & Rates

Portola Valley residents are on a quarterly billing cycle. This means you can expect to receive your GreenWaste invoice in February, May, August and November. If you have any questions about your billing, please contact Customer Service.

Download Residential Rates – Effective Date, July 1, 2024 (PDF)

What Goes Where & More

Sorting Resources and Newsletters

Sorting Guidance

For residents with Yard Trimmings service
- 3-Stream Sorting Posters
For residents without Yard Trimmings service
- 2-Stream Sorting Posters

Newsletters

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY DO SOME RESIDENTS GET THREE-STREAM SERVICE (GRAY, BLUE AND GREEN CARTS) AND SOME RESIDENTS GET TWO-STREAM SERVICE (GRAY AND BLUE CARTS ONLY)?

Residents receive different Base Service options depending on 1) Where carts are set out for service, and 2) The accessibility of the service street.

Curbside set-out is where carts are placed within 10 feet of an accessible road. Curbside is the standard service included in Base Services rates.
- Residents who set out Curbside along Full Accessibility Streets receive GRAY, BLUE & GREEN carts.
- Residents who set out Curbside along Limited Accessibility Streets receive GRAY & BLUE carts.
On-Premises service, a concierge private property service, is available to all customers (whether they are on a Full Accessibility Street or a Limited Accessibility Street) for an additional charge.
- Residents who set out On-Premises or along Limited Accessibility Streets receive GRAY & BLUE carts. This means that yard trimmings are placed in the GRAY cart.

WHAT DOES “CURBSIDE” MEAN?

Curbside set-out is where carts are set-out for collection within 10 feet of a Full or Limited Accessibility Street. Curbside is the standard service included in Base Services rates.

WHAT DOES “ON-PREMISES” MEAN?

On-Premises service, a concierge private property service, is available to all customers (whether they are on a Full Accessibility Street or a Limited Accessibility Street) for an additional charge. On-Premises customers participate in two-stream sorting, meaning they receive GRAY and BLUE carts only.

WHAT IS DRIVE-ON SERVICE?

Drive-on Service applies anytime a GreenWaste collection vehicle travels more than 10’ onto a private driveway or road that is shared by no more than two (2) customers. There are tiers for the applicable Drive-on Service rate based on number of feet from the collection vehicle. Drive-on distance charges start at 11’ – 100’ and then additional charges are incurred for each additional 100’ increment. Drive-on Service is not available for GREEN Carts.

WHAT IS WALK-ON SERVICE?

Walk-on Service applies when carts are set-out for collection at a location that is greater than 10’ from where a collection vehicle can reasonably access, or where the service is requested by the customer. There are tiers for the applicable Walk-on Service rate based on number of feet from the collection vehicle and also the number of carts beyond Base Services. The tiers are 11’ – 25’, 26′ – 100’ and then additional charges are incurred for each additional 100’ increment. Walk-on Service is not available for GREEN Carts.

WHAT IS A FULL ACCESSIBILITY STREET?

Full Accessibility Streets are streets where a customer’s Curbside set-out location is accessible by a standard collection vehicle.

WHAT IS A LIMITED ACCESSIBILITY STREET?

Limited Accessibility Streets are streets where:

the set-out locations can only be accessed by a smaller collection vehicle, and
three (3) or more customers receive collection services

WHAT IS AN ENCLOSURE?

An enclosure is a fully or partially enclosed natural or constructed structure that requires the driver to open a gate or door or otherwise maneuver the structure in order to access the containers. An enclosure fee applies if the driver is not provided clear, unhindered access to the containers due to the presence of the enclosure.

I HAVE EXTRA YARD TRIMMINGS, WHAT CAN I DO?

You have several options available for no additional charge.

Take advantage of the Town-wide Clean-up Events that occur three (3) times each year (dates are determined annually and are included in newsletters and posted online).
Take advantage of the two (2) on-call clean up events provided each year at no additional charge. These are scheduled at your convenience and include the collection of Yard Trimmings and clean (unpainted and untreated) wood in a bundle, box or can.
Utilize your two (2) Mixed Compostables vouchers provided annually at no additional charge. These vouchers will be mailed to customers annually with the February bill.

Regulatory Requirements

Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy: California Senate Bill 1383, effective January 1, 2022, requires all Californians to subscribe to their jurisdiction’s organics curbside collection service. Residents are required to properly sort their organic waste into the correct containers

For Portola Valley residents, GreenWaste provides both a mixed organics stream (Gray Cart) and a source separated organics stream (Green Cart). Food scraps, food soiled paper, and other organics are recovered from the Gray Cart at the GreenWaste MRF, which serves as a high diversion organic waste processing facility.

Businesses in Portola Valley are offered weekly collection service of Mixed Compostables, Recyclable Materials and Yard Trimmings. Service is provided up to six (6) days per week on a Monday through Saturday schedule. All materials must fit completely inside the container with the lid closed. Containers must be ready for collection no later than 8:00AM and should be returned to their service location promptly after service.

MIXED COMPOSTABLES: Businesses can select from cart or bin service. Carts or bins are available for collection Monday through Friday. Choose the appropriate size for your business.

RECYCLABLE MATERIALS: Businesses can select from cart or bin service for recycling at no additional charge with Mixed Compostables collection. Comingle all recyclables into either your recycling cart or bin.

YARD TRIMMINGS: Source-separated Yard Trimmings collection is available to businesses. GreenWaste offers 64- and 96-gallon Carts, as well as 1- and 2-yard bins for the collection of Yard Trimmings.