San Francisco takes recycling seriously. In 2002, the Board of Supervisors set an ambitious goal of 75% recycling of the waste stream by 2010, and the City currently exceeds the state-mandated 50% requirement. As the S.F. Department of the Environment’s Web site boasts, “San Francisco recycles more than it throws away.” Even more remarkable is the fact that recycling is not mandatory here — although that may have to change in order for the City to meet its 75% goal. Apparently, many residents voluntarily sort their trash. If you’re one of those people who are naturally committed to reducing waste, you couldn’t live in a better place.

First, San Francisco offers free curbside pick-up of recyclables to all city residents. A recycling bin should be provided by your waste hauler along with your regular trash container. If not, call your collection service: Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling Company at (415) 626-4000 (for downtown residences) or Sunset Scavenger Company at (415) 330-1300 (for the rest of San Francisco). Also ask about the Fantastic Three Program to see if it's available in your area. Fantastic Three is “a three-cart collection service” covering the regular trash and mixed recycling (bottles, cans, paper, etc.) options, plus the more-recent addition of “compostables” (food scraps, soiled paper and yard debris). Each of the “fantastic three” gets its own colored container: blue for regular mixed recyclables; green for compostables; black for all other trash. And if you find you’re recycling more than you had anticipated, you can request larger blue and green carts for free — without any extra collection charges either. (Larger black carts are also delivered free but carry an extra monthly fee). See the Department of the Environment or Sunset Scavenger Company Web sites for specifics on what should go in each bin. You may also call the City’s Recycling Hotline at (415) 554-7329.

Unfortunately, San Francisco doesn’t yet offer the convenience of curbside pick-up for all recyclables. Items such as old car batteries and cell phones must be brought to specific drop-off sites though some exceptions apply. See the S.F. Department of the Environment for details and a list of recycling center locations. Finally, before discarding or even recycling items you no longer need, why not first consider if someone else could use them? Donating your extra stuff is as easy as going to Excess Access, an “on-line matching database system” committed to “linking surplus with needs.”