Upcoming waste checks of residential and commercial bins

Published on June 02, 2025

On behalf of the City of Menlo Park, Recology will perform waste checks of residential carts and commercial bin contents. These annual reviews, required by the State of California and Senate Bill (SB) 1383, a state organics law, monitor contamination levels of each waste stream (garbage, recycling and compost) in an effort to keep these waste streams clean and increase what is recycled and recovered. This is more commonly referred to as “route reviews.”

Recology’s Waste Zero Specialists will audit randomly selected collection containers on each collection route for solid waste, recyclable materials and organic materials for commercial and residential customers. They will wear vests, provide business cards and carry flyers detailing the SB 1383 regulation.

The reviews will take place in the morning prior to Recology’s scheduled pickups. Each audit will consist of flipping the lid of the container, possibly opening the contents of bags and documenting materials found in the container. The reviews start in June and will last for 10–13 weeks throughout the summer.

If contamination is identified during the audit, the Recology Waste Zero Specialist will leave an “OOPS!” tag on the collection container to inform the customer of materials placed incorrectly and share proper sorting tips. Containers that contain excess contamination and/or have hazardous material may not be collected.

If your cart is not collected due to contamination, call Recology at (650) 595-3900. To learn more about what is acceptable in the compost, recycling and landfill containers, visit WhatBin’s webpage.

For more information about SB 1383, visit the City’s webpage and Recology's webpage.