It’s illegal to throw garbage or unwanted items onto a public street or sidewalk. Trash pick-up for all public areas in San Francisco is provided by the Department of Public Works, which can be reached by phone, at 3-1-1, or online at sfdpw.org. Depending on the details of the illegal dumping, trash will generally be cleared within four hours and three business days of contacting the department. DPW only picks-up trash if it’s is on public property.
The California Department of Transportation is responsible for trash alongside freeways – www.dot.ca.gov. CalTrans also organizes volunteer trash pick-up days.
