Oaklanders, Get Rid of Your Bulky Junk for Free in December Using Bulky Pickup or Davis Street Drop-off Appointments

Oakland, CA –– Oakland Public Works is encouraging all Oakland homeowners and renters to take advantage of free bulky waste services this December, as convenient alternatives to the Bulky Block Party event series.

The Bulky Block Party program remains ongoing, but the previously-announced Dec. 17 event at 7101 Edgewater Drive has been cancelled. In prior years, public participation in these events has declined during the holiday season. The cancellation of December’s event will allow the City to redirect staff resources to other trash collection and community cleanup operations. The next Bulky Block Party at the Edgewater facility will take place on Saturday January 28^th, 2023.

Oakland residents are encouraged to take advantage of the many other free options available for disposing of bulky waste this month. These free services were expanded in the past year and include the following:

• All Oakland residents may schedule appointments with Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC) to drop off their bulky items at no charge at WMAC’s Davis Street Resource Recovery Complex and Transfer Station (located at 2615 Davis Street in San Leandro). Residents are offered one free drop off per year, after which normal rates apply.
• Residents in Multi-Family Dwellings (buildings with more than four residential units) can now schedule a curbside appointment once a year directly with WMAC instead of requesting appointments through their landlords as they formerly had to.
• Residents in Single-Family Dwellings (buildings with up to four residential units) can schedule an appointment for bulky items collection at the curbside, increased from once per year to twice per year.
• Residents can now set out 4 cubic yards of items per curbside bulky pick appointment, plus recyclable items including mattresses, tires, TVs and computers, up from 3 cubic yards for Single-Family buildings and 1.5 cubic yards for Multi-Family buildings.

Improved access to bulky trash service is a key element in a multipronged strategy OPW has been rolling out to help Oaklanders dispose of unwanted material safely and help prevent and reduce illegal dumping. This includes increased enforcement with the February piloting of illegal dumping enforcement surveillance cameras, as well as the launch of a neighborhood-based Bulky Block Party program, which launched in October in Sobrante Park and will continue in January with a community clean up and bulky debris drop off for Melrose residents. The program also makes ongoing investments in Garbage Blitz Crews that actively clean up known hot spots and major corridors across the City, as well as Rapid Response Crews that maintain a 3-day response time to clean up dumping reported by community members who contact OAK311.

Over the 18 months from March 2021- September 2022, Oakland Public Works’ Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful (KOCB) Division picked up 9,022 tons of bulky waste.

All Oakland community members can learn more about trash, recycling, and compost services available in Oakland by going to www.oaklandrecycles.com. Oaklanders can learn more about services available to combat and reduce illegal dumping – and learn how they themselves can help – at www.oaktownproud.com.

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