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About Shoreway

All visitors are strongly recommended to wear a face covering and observe all local mandated physical distancing measures and mask guidelines while on site.

The Shoreway Environmental Center, California’s Greenest Recycling Center and Transfer Station, serves as a national model for sustainable building practices and innovative recycling and material handling operations.

Residential and commercial solid waste and recyclable materials that are collected by the franchise hauler, Recology San Mateo County, are taken to Shoreway for processing and shipment. The facility is owned by RethinkWaste and operated by South Bayside Industries (SBI).

Shoreway Environmental Center

The Shoreway Environmental Center functions as an integrated campus with separate buildings used as follows:

Public Recycling Center

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

The PRC continues to accept residential free drop off of certain items such electronic waste (TVs, computers, etc.), cooking oil, 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). Public entrance to the PRC is through Gate 1.

Address: 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070

Phone: (650) 802-8355

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

Transfer Station

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

Materials Recovery Facility

The Materials 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.

Environmental Education Center

We offer free tours of our Shoreway Environmental Center. Our popular Tour Program is now virtual. Schedule a tour today!

Recology San Mateo County Offices

Recology San Mateo County logo gradientRecology 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 Bayside Industries.

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 Bayside Industries (SBI) Offices

South Bayside Industries (SBI) 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 (PRC). SBI is also responsible for delivering materials to their next destination: organic waste to Blossom Valley Organics in Vernalis and Newby Island in San Jose, landfill waste to Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay, construction and demolition (C&D) waste to Zanker Recycling in San Jose, and recyclable waste to domestic and international markets. SBI took over managing the Shoreway operations January 1, 2024 after the conclusion of RethinkWaste’s contract with South Bay Recycling (SBR) from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2023.  

SBI, which operates the Shoreway Environmental Center on behalf of RethinkWaste, has its administrative offices housed in the MRF building. SBI’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.