California Waste Solutions to add curbside battery pickup in San José

California Waste Solutions plans to launch curbside household battery collection for single-family homes in San José in early 2027, building on a program already running in Oakland. The expansion comes alongside a new five-year Teamsters contract and broader investments in worker safety, service reliability and community partnerships.

Why it matters: - Household batteries are a fire and safety risk when they enter the regular recycling stream. - The San José program is designed to keep batteries separate from compacted recycling loads and sorting equipment. - The expansion gives single-family residents a curbside option that is meant to complement City of San José Recycle Right guidance. - The move also ties service growth to labor stability, with a new five-year agreement in place for San José employees represented by Teamsters Local 350.

What happened: - California Waste Solutions plans to start curbside household battery collection for single-family customers in San José in early 2027. - The company has offered the same curbside battery service for the City of Oakland since 2015. - San José employees represented by Teamsters Local 350 ratified a five-year labor agreement. - Michael Duong, president of California Waste Solutions, said employee investment and customer service are closely connected.

The details: - The new labor agreement includes improvements in pay, benefits and vacation provisions. - The agreement gives the company and employees a longer planning horizon as California Waste Solutions prepares for additional service responsibilities in San José. - Approved household batteries will be collected separately from regular recycling and sent to a permitted battery recycler. - Collected battery bags will stay in a dedicated compartment on the truck, be consolidated separately at a company facility and then be routed to a permitted battery recycler. - Certain batteries and devices will still need household hazardous-waste drop-off or approved retail take-back, not curbside collection. - The company said it will provide San José residents with program guidance before launch, including which batteries qualify and how to prepare them for setout. - California Waste Solutions is investing in sorting technology at Bay Area operations, including Pellenc optical sorting equipment and EverestLabs artificial-intelligence scanning technology. - The company uses city-specific recycling guidance, multilingual materials, community events, school outreach and property-manager outreach to explain local program rules.

Between the lines: - The battery program reflects a broader operating strategy: keep residents’ instructions simple, keep workers protected and keep special materials out of mixed recycling. - Company leaders framed the labor agreement, service expansion and community work as part of the same long-term model built around stable staffing and dependable municipal service. - David Duong said the company has been collecting household batteries at the curb in Oakland for the past decade and wants San José residents to have that option as well. - The company’s emphasis on sealed battery bags and separate handling suggests the operational challenge is as much safety as convenience. - The community sponsorships in San José show the company is trying to pair utility service with local civic visibility.

What's next: - California Waste Solutions will issue more detailed battery collection guidance before the San José launch. - Residents will need to follow program rules on eligible batteries, preparation and curbside setout. - Batteries and larger rechargeable packs that do not qualify for curbside collection will continue to require hazardous-waste or retail drop-off options. - The company plans to continue integrating the new service with employee training, safety procedures and city education efforts.

The bottom line: - California Waste Solutions is expanding beyond standard recycling pickup in San José while betting that workforce investment and safer handling rules will make the new battery program work.