If you’re planning to purchase a new toilet you can now recycle your old one instead of sending it to a landfill. A cooperative venture between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Department of the Environment and San Francisco Recycling & Disposal, now offers a toilet and urinal recycling program for San Francisco residents and businesses.

By recycling old toilets we avoid adding to the amount of material going into landfills and help San Francisco meet its adopted goal of 75 percent landfill diversion by 2010 and zero waste by 2020.

What are recycled toilets used for?

Toilets recycled from San Francisco are taken to a crushing operations site where the crushed porcelain is combined into an aggregate and used as road base for street and highway paving.  Road base is the lower layer of material that provides the base for the asphalt or concrete.

How do I recycle my old toilet?

People who want to recycle old toilets may contact Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal. There is a fee for businesses to participate in this program. Residential customers with active garbage accounts, apartment building managers, and apartment tenants can recycle a limited number of bulky items (including toilets) placed at the curb by scheduling an appointment. For program details go to SFRecycling.com and click on “Junk pick up” or call Sunset,  (415) 330-1300, or Golden Gate, (415) 626-4000. Businesses can request a quote online at RecycleMyJunk.com

You can also drop off your old toilet(s) at SF Recycling & Disposal, 501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco. SF Recycling & Disposal requires a minimal disposal fee of $22.00. Items in addition to your old toilet are charged at $123.07 per ton.  SF Recycling & Disposal accepts Visa, MasterCard, and cash. No checks.

Regular Business Hours for Garbage and Recycling (Non-Hazardous Waste):
Monday - Friday, 7 AM-4:30 PM.
Saturday & Sunday, 8 AM-4:30 PM.

Visit sfrecyclinganddisposal.com or call your garbage collection service for more info.

NOTE: It is highly recommended that you disassemble your toilet and remove any non-porcelain parts (seat, bolts, valves, etc) before dropping it off.   It is very easy to do and some of the parts can be recycled as well.

Information and Questions

To request more information, please contact Water Conservation at 415-551-4730 or waterconservation@sfwater.org.