Marin Sanitary Services

“The Garbarinos practically invented recycling. Their innovative operations have served as a model for both the state and the nation. It has kept them at the forefront of the movement to reduce, reuse and recycle, and end waste as we know it today.” –Rosalie Mule, California Integrated Waste Management Board.“The Garbarinos practically invented recycling. Their innovative operations have served as a model for both the state and the nation. It has kept them at the forefront of the movement to reduce, reuse and recycle, and end waste as we know it today.” –Rosalie Mule, California Integrated Waste Management Board.

A Family’s Vision to Zero Waste

“We were never garbage men, we were scavengers,” recalls Joe Garbarino, co-founder of Marin Sanitary Service (MSS).As a new immigrant from Italy, Joe’s father and uncle formed the first Scavengers Protective Association in 1920. Hauling garbage in giant burlap bags on his back over the steep hills of San Francisco, John Garbarino quickly learned that people threw away more than they should, and most of it could be reused. He soon began scouring wine bottles, eyeglasses and shoes and reselling them.

MSS began in 1948 when together the families Garbarino, Segale, Zappetini, Marconi and Zanotti left San Francisco and ventured into the growing communities of Marin County to start a new garbage service. In 1994, the County of Marin granted a franchise for additional unincorporated areas around San Rafael. MSS currently services more than 33,000 residential and commercial accounts.Now there are 3 generations of Garbarinos working at Marin Sanitary. The family has toiled long and hard over the years to get Marin County to recycle over 74% of all waste. The business has grown and expanded into three separate divisions in order to address every facet of waste management and recycling.Since MSS was founded its evolution has closely paralleled that of Marin County itself. We have grown philosophically with our customers, and believe in the power of recycling to preserve our natural resources. As a result, we are well on our way to achieving our goal of zero waste. Our three divisions work together to provide comprehensive collection, recycling, and education services:

Curbside Clean-ups

Curbside clean-ups are scheduled twice per year (Fall and Spring) to help with large clean-ups. These preset dates are determined by the town you live in and the Billing Cycle you are in. During the clean-up weeks, you can put out up  to 14 bags of extra material at no extra cost on your normal service day. See below for what is allowed and the dates assigned to each area.

When is my Curbside Clean-up?

You should receive an insert in your bill announcing any new Curbside Clean-ups in your area. Material will only be collected on your service day during your scheduled Clean-up week. Check your last bill and locate the green box on the bottom third of your bill. Right above the green box, you will notice a four letter code like MASR and a letter and a number combination like R2. These are your cycle and tax body codes in which we use to schedule your Curbside Clean-up. Identify your combination of codes below for the schedule curbside clean-up week. Remember, material can only be collected on your normal service day.Through our new bulky item program, residential customers are allocated two scheduled bulky item collections of up to two items each time at no extra charge. Any item over 60 lbs or 6 ft will be subject to an additional fee to cover special equipment or additional helper. If you have already used your inclusive collections, any additional items to be collected will be charged a per item collection fee. Call our customer service department to get a quote or to schedule your collection. A 24-hour notice is required for special pick-up requests. Please note that any estimates given over the telephone are subject to change after the driver assesses the load.

Comprehensive Refuse and Recycling Services

Marin Sanitary Service is in a unique position to provide complete garbage,recycling, and organics collection for our commercial customers. Whether you are a large or small business, a multifamily apartment unit, a hospital, or other institution, our Commercial Recycling Team is here to help. Our customized collection services combined with technical assistance is designed to help you minimize your waste and maximize your diversion.

Residential

We offer several cart options and can collect a variety of materials curbside. We only ask that customers follow a few curbside collection guidelines to help us keep things running smoothly. In addition to our curbside collection, we also offer additional residential services.We’re dedicated to a better Marin, and work to promote recycling and diverting waste from our landfills in order to reach our goal of zero waste.