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Environmental Health

Complaints about garbage, garbage trucks, and refuse-related nuisances

The Solid Waste Program ensures all residences and businesses in San Francisco subscribe to adequate and licensed refuse collection service. The program also ensures that refuse collection is handled in a manner that protects health and safety. Below are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Environmental Health Branch role in regulating garbage and refuse, as well as those that are under the jurisdiction of other agencies.

 

Garbage Issues:

I already paid my garbage company on a delinquent bill, why does Department of Public Health have a lien against my property?

Under San Francisco Health Code, Article 6, DPH must continue paying a defaulted garbage bill. Therefore, when you call the garbage company and pay your bill you may be told that your bill is up to date--this is because we paid it while it was delinquent. You still owe us for that period plus any administrative fees.

 

I need to set up a garbage service or pay my garbage bill.

Contact Recology

 

There is garbage dumped on the street, the sidewalk, or in front of my door. I don't know where it came from. What do I do?

By law, the property owner or the ground-floor tenant of the building immediately adjacent to the sidewalk is responsible for keeping it clean and free of litter. SFDPH takes care of the trash that is on private property (this includes the sidewalk in front of a private property), or inside a dwelling.Call or visit 311 to make a service request to SFDPH Environmental Health or to Department of Public Works. San Francisco Department of Public Works provides many services that are free to help owners with unwanted trash.

 

There are garbage cans on the street or sidewalk that never get removed even after the trash is picked up!

Call or visit 311 to make a request to Department of Public Works.

 

A business (or residential building) on my street doesn't have garbage service and dumps their garbage in other trash cans, or leaves it on the street until the garbage trucks pick it up.

Contact our Refuse Liens Program who will make sure that residents and businesses have garbage pick up service.

 

I saw a restaurant owner/my neighbor dump paint/oil/something hazardous into the sewer.

Contact San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for this and other sewer issues.

 

Other complaints:

My neighbor never cleans up their dog's waste, and there is a smell.

While we do not typically handle odor/smell complaints, this particular issue is of waste on private property, and the smell is the after product, so you can call or visit 311 to make a service request to SFDPH Environmental Health.

 

There is a strange odor coming from my neighbor's house/in my neighborhood.

Contact the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. This site provides phone numbers and contacts for different odor problems.

 

Making a Complaint

For other types of complaints about illegal dumping or garbage, call or visit 311.