When Is Trash Pickup in San Ramon? ACI Schedule, Holidays, and Extra Garbage Rules

San Ramon is served by ACI of San Ramon, the city’s franchised hauler for garbage, recycling, and organics, and its schedule rules are not the same as Danville’s. If you moved across Crow Canyon Road and assumed the trash program came with you, it did not.

Here is how collection works in San Ramon, what changes around the holidays, and the two rules that most often cost residents a pickup.

Who collects trash in San Ramon

ACI of San Ramon holds the franchise with the City of San Ramon for all three residential streams: the garbage cart, the recyclables cart, and the organics cart. Billing and service both run through ACI, and the number to keep in your phone is 925-380-9480.

That is the biggest difference between San Ramon and its neighbors. Danville, Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, and Walnut Creek are all under RecycleSmart, which contracts with Republic Services. San Ramon is not part of that program. Calling the wrong number is the most common mistake we hear about from new residents, and the second is assuming the holiday calendar matches. It does not.

Finding your collection day

Your collection day is set by your address. All three carts go out on the same day, weekly. If you have recently moved in and no schedule was left behind, ACI can tell you your day when you set up the account.

Carts need to be at the curb before the truck starts its route, which means early. Set them out the night before if you are not an early riser, with lids fully closed and enough space between carts for the truck’s arm.

Holidays and the winter window

Danville’s program delays collection for two specific days. San Ramon has worked differently: around the winter holidays, ACI has run a one-day delay across a multi-week window, covering the stretch from late December into early January, rather than shifting only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The practical effect is that your pickup may move by a day for two or three consecutive weeks rather than once. The exact window is published each year, so check it in early December rather than assuming last year’s dates carry over. ACI at 925-380-9480 is the source of truth.

Holiday trees are collected curbside on your regular day during a published week in early January, with a separate Boy Scouts pickup typically running the Saturday before. Remove decorations, lights, tinsel, and the stand. Flocked and artificial trees are handled differently, so check before you drag one to the curb.

Extra garbage needs a tag

This is the rule that most often leaves a bag sitting at the curb after the truck has gone.

If you have more garbage than fits in your cart, you need an Extra Garbage Service tag. You supply a 32-gallon bag, attach the tag with the tag facing the street, and set it beside your garbage cart on your regular day. The tag price includes the extra pickup.

Tags are sold at San Ramon City Hall on Bollinger Canyon Road, and ACI can mail them to you if you call. Extra garbage set out without a tag is not collected. The same applies to yard trimmings, which need the special prepaid paper bags if you want them composted rather than landfilled.

Bulky items and cleanup days

Neighborhood cleanup days and bulky item pickups run on their own rules, and the timing is stricter than most people expect:

1. Items within three feet of the curb, without blocking the street or sidewalk.
2. Out by 5:30 a.m. on the scheduled day.
3. No more than 24 hours in advance. Putting a couch out on Friday for a Monday pickup is how you end up with a citation and a soggy couch.
4. Loose items contained: bagged, boxed, or bundled.

Limits generally apply, including a small number of tires and large items per pickup. Full comparison of both towns’ programs: bulky item pickup in Danville vs San Ramon.

The day your carts are empty

Whatever your collection day turns out to be, the day after it is the one that matters for cleaning. That is the only morning all three carts are empty at once, which is the only time the residue at the bottom is reachable.

Leave the carts at the curb that morning and Bin Bliss cleans them in San Ramon where they stand: a high-pressure deep clean inside and out, an EPA-registered disinfectant on the interior, lid, and handles, the dirty wash water captured instead of running into the gutter, and your choice of scent to finish. First cleaning from $49, or scheduled cleaning from $39 per visit.

To book, text CLEAN to (888) 888-8888. We will confirm your ACI collection day and come the morning after.