About Shoreway

Due to the current Shelter in Place Order given by San Mateo County’s Health Officer, the Shoreway Environmental Center is closed to the public until further notice. 

The buyback portion of the Public Recycling Center (PRC) is closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For alternate local buyback locations, please visit RecycleStuff.org.

The PRC continues to accept free drop off of certain items such electronic waste (TVs, computers, etc.), small appliances (items with a power cord that do not contain fuel, batteries, or refrigerants) and some household hazardous waste (household batteries, latex and oil-based paints, used motor oil and filters, antifreeze, cooking oil). Public entrance to the Public Recycling Center is through Gate 1.

Address: 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070

Phone: (650) 802-8355

Public Hours of Operation:
Monday – Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed on Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day

Due to the current Shelter in Place Order given by San Mateo County’s Health Officer, the Shoreway Environmental Center is closed to the public until at least April 7

The Transfer Station is used for the unloading and transfer of solid waste, construction and demolition (C&D) debris, and organics. Public entrance to the Transfer Station is through Gate 1.

Address: 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070

Phone: (650) 802-8355

Public Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day

The Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is used for the unloading, processing and shipment to end markets of recyclables from homes and businesses. The MRF is not open to the public.

RethinkWaste offers free tours of the Shoreway Environmental Center to schools, businesses, and community groups.

Recology San Mateo County (Recology) is the franchised waste hauler for the RethinkWaste service area. Recology is responsible for collecting recycling, organics and garbage from 93,000 residences and 11,000 businesses on a weekly basis in the 12 Member Agency service area that spans from Burlingame to East Palo Alto. They deliver the materials to the Shoreway Environmental Center for processing by RethinkWaste’s contractor, South Bay Recycling.

Recology has its administrative offices located at Shoreway at 225 Shoreway Road, and is open to the public for bill payments and customer questions. Recology’s offices are accessible through Gate 3. Recology’s operations yard is also located at Shoreway.

South Bay Recycling (SBR) is the contractor hired by RethinkWaste to operate the Shoreway Environmental Center, which includes the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), Transfer Station and Public Recycling Center. SBR is also responsible for delivering materials to the next stop for processing or the end market. This includes marketing and selling the recyclable materials to markets domestically and overseas, transporting 15 loads of organics to Blossom Valley Organics in Vernalis and Newby Island in San Jose, 30 long haul truckloads of garbage to the Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay and delivering construction and demolition materials to Zanker Recycling in San Jose.

SBR, which operates the Shoreway Environmental Center on behalf of RethinkWaste, has its administrative offices housed in the MRF building. SBR’s operations yard is also located at Shoreway.

The site operations are regulated by a number of local and State agencies with regular facility inspections. The facility is separately permitted by the CalRecycle to receive 3,000 tons per day of solid waste and recyclables.