Thank you for years of reliable, courteous, responsive service, Marin Sanitary. When I call with questions or a request, Anita helps me promptly and with courtesy. I believe its best to be in habit to thank such folks for being helpful and kind... in advance...not only when we are in need of solutions. Just catching folks doing things right and well and expressing appreciation helps everyone through their day... to pay that forward to others. I occasionally get to say hello and thanks to my garbage and recycle service /truck drivers and have a demanding, risky job... It's especially during these challenging times when such essential workers are at greater risk...too rarely are they shown our appreciation. THANK YOU and blessings to all who provide such essential services! read more

Thanks to Shelby and some customer service reps, service feels much better. Still issues like broken bins but replacements do come. It does demonstrate how a good few people do make a difference! read more

I am disabled and was very distracted today because of a serious of personnel problems. I had forgotten to put out my garbage cans earlier in the day and when I opened my garage door for another reason there was the garbage truck. I am an old f--- and slow, unfortunately. , the driver was out of the truck past my house for my next door neighbor. He stooped, came to my house, assisted me with my garbage can, emptied it, returned it tome, all with a smile and gentle demeanor. THANKS AND THAT IS ALL THE SERVICE AND CONSIDERATION ONE CAN ASK FOR. THANK TOU AGAIN. J read more

That company has just been going down year after year . They have one job to do , and they just complain. It's too big , it too wide to pick up. They are not the Sopranos of waste management they are Divas. Where is the competition? Remember you only have one job to do , pick up the garbage, so just do it! read more

I am surprised at all the negative reviews, so thought I would write this one. . I have always experienced very helpful personnel on the phone and in person at Marin Sanitary, and they arrive on schedule and do their jobs with efficiency. Actually, I am grateful to have such a good service caring for my refuse. Sometimes we do not realize how lucky we are. read more

long story short; our family home was sold and I stopped service on three utility companies. two of them sent a bill with the credit owed and a check with the amount. Smart, simple and efficient. Marin Sanitary service does not work like this , make you ( the customer ) work for it. I received a bill with the owed credit, but not even any instructions on how I would get the money. I called and asked and they supposedly sent out a check. Three weeks later, having received nothing, I called again. The first person I spoke to said the check had gone out and then mumbled something and I had to speak to billing. the woman I spoke to assured me the the check would be sent . I asked for a confirmation email or some kind of assurance, which she would not give me. It's not that complicated. read more

Why is the "marin sanitary" family corrupt company with bad and lazy service allowed to be a monopoly? Especially, in such an expensive, desirable county? And, rude 100% of the few periodic times I needed to call and talk to them. read more

The dump is a scam. Charges different prices each time I go for the exact same load. Sometimes they try and charge 3x what I'm normally charged with. When I call them out, they lower it. Total scam. It's embarrassing that stuff like this is happening in our city. How many people every day are scammed here? Local news should take a look. read more

they deserve 0 stars, but theychoise is bot available I am still waiting for the trash can that I requested late august 2022, 2 moth ago, first I had to called a second time to see what happened, why the trash can was not deliver, then I waited for whole moth to deliver my trash, never happened, since then I had call the office 3 times to remind them about about it. they apologize every time, and insure me that the can was going be deliver next day. hasn't happened yet. read more

This company is amazing and provides a great service to Marin County. The drivers are dedicated to their work and do their best to go above and beyond for their customers. It is a family oriented business that shares great values not only for the public, but for the overall environment. read more

The drivers were so lazy, that they dumped the cardboard into the street because the lid wasn't closed. Pathetic!!!! read more

Anita of customer service was so rude on the phone. She was not a friendly type person. Retrain your customer support Marin Sanitary Service. read more

I big shoutout to one of your truck drivers - Olrick! He was working in Santa Venetia the morning of 2/3/22 and he rescued me, a stranded motorist outside the 7-Eleven. What a wonderful kid, hang on to him! Here's my review of 7-Eleven from that same day... My car battery died and so did my phone. I hiked a 1/2 mile to 7-Eleven at 7:30 in the morning and found no pay phone so I asked the clerk if he or I could call AAA for a jump. He said, "No!" Really, he said no. I used to come to this 7-Eleven daily as a kid in the 80's to drink slurpees and drop endless quarters into Space Invaders and Donkey Kong. Now I'm back in town after years away, late for a funeral and this guy at 7-Eleven won't call an 800 number for a stranded motorist. Zero stars for customer service and zero stars for the "special blend" coffee - it was watery and weak. read more

After management researched my complaint and checked evidence, it was found that I did in fact ask for the smallest garbage can, and had been charged for a larger can. I was promptly refunded for being overcharged for the larger can for six months. Appreciate the handling of this matter by Marin Sanitary Service management. Thanks! read more

Seeing all the troubling posts for Marin Sanitary is alarming. I have not had this experience in 24 years using their services. The dump, paper shredding, hazardous waste etc are all excellent aspects of their business, as well as their school education programs. Garbage pickup is almost always spot on, having some issues with green bins, but nothing that is earth shattering. But I live on a street with plenty of room not in difficult to reach homes which are common in Marin. Always had good luck with the customer service folks too. No complaints here. Thanks MS for serving our communities read more

Disappointing customer service by phone. My trash can wasn't fully emptied this morning. I called and the rep blamed the problem on me, accused me of putting something in the can that got stuck (it was just regular household garbage), was in general abusive and rude, and then hung up on me. A better way to handle this might be one of the following: Thank me for being a good customer and apologize for the problem. Offer to return and fully empty the can or, Ask if I would mind waiting until next week or, Offer me a small credit for waiting until next week. read more

Margaret & I couldn't be more satisfied with the prompt replies & service from our recent experience with ordering and receiving their Debris Box..A special thanks to Jon Oranje,who took our order & Jeff Seskey, the man who took the container away. read more

You destroy my recycling can and I call to order a new one and you tell me you don't have any replacements and that I'll be put on a waiting list. This is the kind of customer service you get when you deal with a monopoly. Without competition, service goes down the drain. read more

Terrible customer service The most expensive garbage company in our area We pay for new cans every 6 years but they are never changed. Where does our money go? read more

So, this whole operation looks like a racket to me. You know who controls the "garbage" business or "carting" business don't you? Now, I am not saying that these guys have crooked noses but I think their racket has an even greater edge. So on one hand, they charge folks to pick up their garbage (fair enough) but on the other hand they charge people to pick up the recycling and then re-sell the stuff too and make money again.. That is like a bank charging you to come over to your house to pick up your money, they take it from you and charge you for it and then they put it in their own account. Yes, very fishy. So, today I went to drop off all these water bottles that a member of my family has used over the past few months. It is a trunk full. Now, if I left it in the recycling bin I would be charged for something they go ahead and resell as discussed, yet when you drop it off they actually pay you. I am thinking $15 or so and I would donate that money along with some other things to the local shelter's for Thanksgiving. Well, the place I was to drop it off is closed on Monday. Say what!!! In fact, they are only open 8--4 Tues-Sat. I mean 40 hours is all they are open to accept goods to recycle, which is a good thing I believe, and you get paid .for it but they don't make it easy Yet the stuff they pick up themselves, charge you for and pocket all the profits seem to operate all the time. Yet, there is something smelly at this dump and it is not the garbage. read more

Don't be fooled by the two or three people on this site who have had "good experiences" with this company. Read the room and discover just how many 1 star reviews this company has comparatively speaking. The truth is this is quite possibly the worst aspect of living in the City of San Rafael. The sheer lack of any customer service (or concern at all for that matter) is what really makes this company awful to do business with (really I should say forced to do business with since they hold a monopoly on trash service in San Rafael). While it may not be a "restaurant", they should be at a minimum courteous towards their customers and uphold their end of their contract with the City of San Rafael, monopoly or not. Read all of the reviews here and you'll see that they don't. Virtually every week they damage another piece of my property in an attempt to save themselves money. Their trucks now implement an electronic arm that grabs your can and violently throws it upside down so that half of your trash ends up in the truck and the other half in the street. Then the can is flung back towards your home with the same level of force. Since I live on a hill, this process means that my car gets dented and my fence gets cracked and broken as a direct result of the driver's carelessness. While I have called to complain many times, the people who answer the phone could frankly care less. They act in a rude and condescending manner because you had the nerve to call and complain about what frankly amounts to institutionalized vandalism. I can't encourage enough of my neighbors to contact your respective City official and lodge a formal complaint because that is the only way this company is going to clean up its act or, if not, lose their City contracts. NOT RECOMMENDED (but since its a City sanctioned monopoly, what choice do we have?!) read more

I give them 5 stars for actual sanitary (the guys work hard) service but 1 star for billing. They charge $3.99 to pay the bill online through a company called DOX. Really, really, really unhappy with that. read more

Once again I need NEGATIVE STARS, Yelp. This is quite possibly the worst part of living in Marin...having to deal with this obviously inept and disappointing group of morons who wouldn't know customer service or work ethic if it came up and bit them in the ass. This week marks the tenth time, YES, THE TENTH TIME, we have had to call to get these morons to do their job. Even when we call and complain, it takes them two or three days to come and do THEIR JOB...PICK UP THE DAMN GARBAGE!!! I want you all to understand that whomever has posted a positive review for Marin Sanitary either has NO TRASH to pick up or they've been paid to post their bullshit review. This is quite possibly the worst customer service I've ever received in my entire 49 years on this planet. So, here's my story: We live in a duplex with four other duplexes surrounding us. We all place our recycling bins at the same spot on the curb. We can't be responsible for everyone's garbage but we have spoken to all of our neighbors who are VERY careful about recycling properly. The driver, we have been told by the morons in the office, has been telling the office that the recycling bins are overflowing with non-recyclable stuff. This is a load of HORSESHIT. I personally went outside and dumpster dove and checked to make sure that EVERY SINGLE PIECE of recycling was indeed in the correct bin. Yet the driver - FOR THE TENTH WEEK IN A ROW - has not picked up the recycling. I'm assuming we are now being punished for having called and complained. So ya know what, you idiots? I believe I'll begin taking all of the recycling bins myself and dumping them ON YOUR PROPERTY. Yours truly, A disappointed and now WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY PAST angry customer. read more

I have had great experiences with the customer service. I called in regards to a billing question and they were able to explain it to me with kindness and knowledge. I even left a message and within 30 minutes I received a call back from a friendly voice. Thank you for being polite and helpful. read more

It seems the majority of customers were very unhappy with MSS, and I am not an exception either. First off, they leave the lid of grey bin wide open right on the street after dumping the trash into their truck. Because they leave the lid open, on rainy days, the bin is filled with rain, and on sunny days, the dog walkers dump their dogs' droppings in our bin. I had asked them to close the lid. But they said it's impossible because "their machine does it and no one comes out of the truck to dump the garbage. Excuse me? who is operating the machine to pick up the bins? Second, they miss picking up our garbage often, and if it is not the gray bin, it's the green bin, and if it's not the green bin, it's the brown bin, and when I call them, the attitudes of people work there are outrageous! yet while I hold the line for the next available customer service, their recording says "This call is being recorded for quality-assurance purposes." Really? Maybe they were just kidding because if that was true, why they have never improved their service year after year? Our usual communication on the phone with them goes like this. me: Hi, my brown bin was not picked up today. (2 pm on the pick-up day) MSS: Are you sure you placed the bin outside by 6 am! (She sounded very annoyed that I even called. Actually, I am the one who should be annoyed that I have to call them every time they miss their service while they have been receiving my automatic payment "on time" for their terrible service. Besides, her question suggested to me that I forgot to put it out. I am a normal person. Why would I call them if I didn't put out my bins?!, so is that the first thing they have to ask me? Don't they have the technology to confirm the accuracy of pick-up record?) me: Yes, I put it out last night. MSS: What 's your account number or address? me: xxxxxxxxxxxx MSS: We'll pick it up tomorrow. You leave it out there. (Click) What about "Sorry, we missed the pick up at your place today. We will come by tomorrow and let the management know about it." - but that would never happen with them of course.... It's a monopoly in Marin County, and because there is no competition, they don't care, and they get away with it. It's a bad system just like there is no such thing as "service" in all communist countries. I hope their management read this and do something about the attitudes of their customer service, but I doubt it. They are getting paid anyway. read more

Week 3 recycling can no pick up! This has happened so many times before! When i call, they offer no assistance! When i tell them, i will start filling up my garbage can , they say they will charge us for the cost! If i put next to can they say it needs to be put in squares with rope! Let me get this straight....you dont pick up for three weeks and then your advice is to charge me or give me work! What a joke! Oh and the kicker last time i called vs fixing problem they sent me a how to recycle brochure ! Maybe a little less sarcasm and some actual work! Or we all to zero waste so we dont need them anymore !!! read more

Unfortunately there is not a zero star rating for this service. As new home owners in San Rafael I have had the unfortunate experience of calling this place twice. Once again to day they did not fail to exceed themselves in awful customer service over the phone. Today I simply called to state our bin had disappeared after the garbage truck left. Good old "cut you off, never friendly, could not give fig" Greg in the customer dept basically states "Ok done" and cuts me off with no mention of when the new bin will arrive etc. This guy infuriates me to the point I want to go over there and let him and the firm know in person they did a dud hire here. Awful, curt, rude, I could go on. I can only hope someone commences and alternative, friendly and thoughtful service and I would switch in an instant. Not to mention the constant rip off rises in rates and we have only been here just over a year. What a scam. read more

They pick up my trash, they aren't loud in the morning when they do it either. There are 2 people who at Christmas get my homemade goodies as a gift. The trash guys are one of those people. The other is the mailman, both know everything about you. read more

Right now I want to give negative stars, but I'm leaving 2 because the drivers do come every week to pick up the bins. And sometimes they do so with a smile (an extra thank you for that!) However... my husband breaks down boxes to put in the paper bin, and when there are extra boxes we leave the required "2x2x2"pile (btw- it's 2 feet, which they don't describe in their instructions). Sometimes the driver leaves those behind, other times they leave a slightly snug paper canister. And I mean slightly as in we end up easily pulling out one box and the rest is loosy goosy. I can only surmise they hardly do manual labor to remove the recycling. It's egregious we pay (both taxes and bills) for this service only to have them leave the garbage behind! Furthermore they sometimes leave the cans in the street where cars have to dodge them. Oh and when I've complained to customer service, they have the gaul to get defensive and blame us, the customer, for a poorly done job! It's customer service. When I describe the problem I recommend the server to listen, be kind, and talk about a solution instead of blaming the customer. They can do so much better! Is there another company that can do their job? Are we seriously stuck with this annoying service? We do our jobs: pay, follow the garbage/recycling/compost instructions, leave cans out on garbage days, so why can't they do their jobs? read more

We take our trash seriously here in Marin County boasting one of the highest recycle rates in the US. Marin Sanitary is helping Marin County to reach the goal of zero waste. Four times a year I make a trip to the recycled center to riot our garage of unused items. I also take used paint cans, electronics and batteries here for proper disposal. Recently I need a large amount of clean cardboard for a project my son was working on. The cardboard area had more than enough. Recycle. Re-use. Responsible. read more

Excellent Service, both curbside and at the Dump. Good place to shop for firewood in the winter, and dump off hazardous waste year round. And it's affordable! Five stars! read more

The absolute worst service imaginable. Your recycling person is literally going through the bins and taking out cans and paper boxes as we speak. GOD FORBID a broken-down box and a Pepsi can be in the wrong side of the trash. THEY GET DROPPED INTO THE SAME TRUCK!! Second week they've gone through our trash. It's all recycling. It's all going in the same truck. It all gets mixed in there. Is this really how your ppl spend their time? Solid training, guys. Horrible service. read more

They are great. They do what you need. We even rented a big Debris Box once and they delivered it and picked it up on time. I'm uncertain why people don't like the office staff. I've always found them to be polite and helpful. Charlene and Ryan have always been helpful. People it's a trash service, not a restaurant, what kind of service do you expect? They pick up on schedule and handle billing and office stuff (ordering a debris box, website questions etc) well. Recommended read more

The driver who picks up the compost "green can" is horrible. If I could give a negative star, I would. He is rude and leaves a mess. "Whatever falls out stays out." That should be his catch phrase. Many times when I get home on garbage day, I notice my neighbors tree cuttings, leaves, weeds, etc., scattered on my property. It is a small street so they have to move my neighbors cans from across the street to my side. My neighbor uses one green can and sometimes if they cant get it all in the "green can" they use a large black rubber-maid can for their compost. So guess what, when the truck grabs the black can it collapses and I get to pick up everything that falls out. Today I was home so I attempted to talk to the driver about the problem. I asked the driver if my neighbor should be using a different can other than the black rubber-made can since that one collapses or could he or Marin Sanitary advise them on what kind of can to use. He said they can use that can and then he said, I always pick everything up. (I'm thinking to myself, Yeah right, then why am I having this conversation.) So he proceeded to empty the black can and once again, some of my neighbor's tree cuttings fell out onto my property. So the driver got out to pick the cuttings up so I went back into the house. Then I thought, I should go see if he picked "everything up" like he said he does. To no surprise, he missed quite a few cuttings on the ground. I took a picture and then my neighbor from across the street drove up. I starting telling him what the issue was and the rude disrespectful driver starts walking back down the hill toward us. My neighbor said, those look like my tree cuttings and I said, they are. I guess the driver saw me taking pictures and talking with my neighbor and knew that couldn't be good. The driver butted in our conversation and said, I picked everything up. Then I bent over and picked up the wad he left and said, you missed some. Then he made nasty sarcastic comments about my property, (which is not landscaped at the moment), stating, oh yeah, since your landscape is so nice let me pick it up. No matter what my yard looks like, I don't need him to use it as a dumping ground because he is too lazy to do his job correctly. If I hadn't addressed the issue with him when he was picking up the black can he would have dumped the stuff all over and kept going, like he usually does. The only reason he attempted to pick up the cuttings in the first place is because I told him about the issue when he arrived and then he still missed some and only came back to get the rest after he saw me outside taking pictures with my neighbor. The driver took out is phone to video the front of my house and our conversation about what he left behind. Was that an attempt to intimidate??? LOL. I really hope he shares the video with his supervisor so they can see how poorly he represents them. I wish I had a choice of who to use for refuse because I'd switch tomorrow and get as many neighbors as possible to join me!! I left a message for his supervisor; we'll see if I ever get a call back...not holding my breath!!! read more

Our service has been relatively consistent, but we do have occasional Monday where things are picked up late or not at all. More importantly, I just received the "mailer" from MSS and it outlines all the specific recycling rules to comply with their bins. They are planning to impose "violation" tickets and charge more or leave bins behind if we get it wrong. Message to Marin Sanitary Service: Seriously? We recently had a increase in your rates, and we now pay more than San Francisco rates for your treasured service. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WAY THINGS ARE SORTED, HIRE MORE PEOPLE AND DO IT YOURSELF. Or perhaps this is a work ethic issue? In many other jurisdictions, including San Francisco, they DO sort the recycling and it is included as part of the service that we pay so dearly for. Why does MSS and their staff think they are so special, compared to other counties? Hmmm, time to approach our local congresspersons and regulate this service more closely! read more

Make sure to check the dimensions of the debris or dirt boxes you rent! Ordered a 10 yard dirt box and after measuring interior dimensions it was only 9 yards. Called customer service and their effort to look into matter was oddly sub par. I'll be complaining further until real action is taken. Kind of hard to believe this was a simple oversight... read more

Terrible customer service. Terrible. Sometimes our cans get picked up a day later for absolutely no reason. During the holidays, APPARENTLY, they bump everyone a day later for two weeks after Christmas. It would be awesome if they would send a notice out to their customers, informing us of the change. Obviously, that is too much to ask of this overrated company. When they actually do pick up our garbage, our cans are ALWAYS knocked over and there is always trash all over our driveway. This company is very frustrating and disappointing. read more

I ordered a new garbage can last Friday, they told me I'd have it by this Tuesday. It's Wednesday - no garbage can. I call about it and they tell me I'll get it the 23rd.....I'm seriously trying to figure out how to start my own Sanitary Service...based on how shitty a job these guys do, I bet I could get tons of customers. read more

Been a customer of Marin Sanitary Services for decades. Overall they get my garbage and recyclables every week without fail. I also use their large object pickup on occasion, and my interactions with the company has been professional and satisfactory every time. There was one discussion about a bungee which I've had to put on the lid due to raccoons, but now the garbageman has a stick with a hook and takes care of it. I feel like they care and try to meet the customer halfway. MSS is also one of the nationwide leaders in recycling and a local company. We do pay a lot. read more

There is a basic rule of thumb for successful businesses -- excel at customer service and all else may be forgiven. Marin Sanitary does NOT excel at customer service. When you promise to do something -- do it. Don't put it off for two weeks; don't get snarky with us (the customer) who has to follow up with you; and then it still doesn't get done? Really? While Marin Sanitary provides a valuable community service, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. This can be easily fixed with training, training, training, and better communications amongst their own team and with their customers. You can do a lot better. read more