Tuggey's Is Struggling

Five minutes of despair on Twitter from Tuggey's Hardware:

Yah. Rumors are true tuggeys hardware is struggling.Seems like #noevalley has forgotten about the oldest store on 24th st. #fact
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

Hope #noevalley enjoys shopping at lowes or home depot next year!!! #sad
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

@NoeValleySF sad to see how much my neighborhood has changed the past 10 years.Yuppies have forced the working class out of #noevalley
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

@NoeValleySF hope all the homeowners who moved to #noe for a "shopping district" enjoy coffee shops, nails salons, realtor offices and banks
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

How about it Noe Valley? Is it that the neighborhood has changed? Or is it that Tuggey's hasn't kept up with the neighborhood. What is your experience shopping there, and what could Tuggey's do to get your business?

Update (3/3/12): The Tuggey's Twitter account has been suspended.

Update (3/10/12):

Update (3/14/12): For Rent

KGO on Tuggey's: Still Going Strong

An NVV reader's worry notwithstanding, a story on KGO/ABC claims Tuggey's is still going strong after 100+ years:

"These are tough times for neighborhood hardware stores, so many are being driven out of business by the big box giants. But a tiny San Francisco store is bucking that trend: Tuggy's [sic] Hardware, which opened in 1898, is still going strong."

Some quotes from current owner, Denny Giovanelli, who has worked there since he was 12:

"The floorboards creek [sic]. That's a good thing."

"When I was younger, I just asked myself what it takes to keep a house going, and that's what you stock."

"We get people from Home Depot sending people to us."

And if you go to Tuggey's on this Small Business Saturday and can't find what you want, there's also this tidbit from the story: "Residents know that Giovanolli [sic] keeps a secret room filled with hard-to-find antique parts."

[ABC: Small hardware store goes strong for 100 years]

Announced: One Medical Group Moving Into Tuggey's Space

A rumor first whispered in the comments seems to be coming true: this notice posted in the window of the now-vacated Tuggey's Hardware indicates that 1 Life Healthcare (aka One Medical) will take over the space. Permit #201205150522 at the DBI confirms that 3885 24th St will be built out as medical offices. One Medical currently operates at 3901 23rd St at Sanchez.

Probably great news for Dennis Giovannoli's retirement. Not so good news for the vibrancy of the 24th St retail/restaurant scene.

For Rent: Tuggey's Hardware

[Terranomics: 3885 24th St]
[NVSF: Tuggey's Is Struggling]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

April 2012

Front Page: The Town Square project is looking for a hero with $2 million or more to keep the dream alive; Alvarado school is getting solar panels; a Diamond St. couple has created Just Cook Foods, a specialty foods company (they make meat rubs) for busy foodies.

Letters: A reader decries the condition of the Harry Street steps (an extension of Noe St. from Laidley to Beacon) and calls them a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act; in memory of Sybil Abeyta; an M.D. advises how to approach dogs (ask before you pet) on 24th St.

Features: The over-the-top $3 million+ redo of the Dolores Playground opens March 31; a re-run of the exact same story that ran last month about the Jan 2012 appointment of Mission Captain Robert Moser (oopsie!).

Short Takes: Garden tour 2012 set for May 19; Easy Breezy frozen yogurt still coming soon.

Cost of Living in Noe: Still red hot.

Store Trek: Saru Sushi

Rumors: Lots of grouses and gripes. Also, the "commercial blogs" report Tuggey's is struggling and the building is for rent; Tuggey's owner Dennis Giovanoli loves Noe Valley so much he's considering "moving to the city;" Whole Foods has withdrawn its application for an ABC license to sell spirits; Luv a Java has received the go-ahead to serve more food; Scott Wiener's new chief of staff is Andres "Parklet" Powers.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Year In Noe Valley: The Big Stories Of 2012

For the rest of the world this might have been the year of Gangnam Style, Call Me Maybe, Superstorms, "the most important election of your lifetime" and the fiscal cliff. But in Noe Valley we were obsessed with local issues. Here's a look back at some of the major themes and top stories from 2012 that resonated in our little village:

It Was a Year of Cool Meteorological Events…
The end of the Mayan calendar barely registered among NV residents, but who cares about that when you've got the awesome transit of Venus, a solar eclipse and a blue moon. While not a meteor, the space shuttle Endeavour buzzed Noe on the way to LA, which was also pretty cool.

Unreal Estate…
Facebook went public this year feeding a frenzy of real estate action in the hood, including the rebirth of the Blue Church on Church St as The Luxe, trust fund house lust, and average home prices of $1.5+ million and counting. And even as a former crack house sold for $1.3 million, Mark Zuckerberg bought a pied–à–terre close by.

Natural and Unnatural Disasters…
The wild weather around the country didn't spare Noe Valley as a fluke thunderstorm and lightning strike zapped transformers on 24th and Hoffman in November, causing more than a few locals to leap out of bed in alarm. The strange weather may also have been the culprit behind this naked car stomper. Granted we did not have extreme weather events, but the bigger threat this year was fire: After the 2-alarm 2011 conflagration in the Radio Shack building, our little hood experienced not one, not two, but five house fires and one case of arson in 2012. Fire and Victorians don't mix – be careful out there.

Changes on 24^th and Church Streets…
Lots of businesses closed or relocated this year including Urban Nest, Ladybug Ladybug, Kohler-Jones, Design Quarter, La Sirena Botanica, Heliotrope, and more than a few business were also scared away by the obnoxious ADA lawsuits. Even the oldest store in the neighborhood, Tuggey's, vacated after decreasing sales and the realization that the real money was in renting the space to...One Medical Group. Meanwhile, First Republic bailed on 24th St after merchants and locals objected, Real Foods of course remains blighted with no resolution in sight, and La Boulange was assimilated by Starbucks. Fortunately there was good news including the addition to 24th St of Loft 1513, Saru Sushi Bar, Easy Breezy, Mill, Olive This Olive That, Philz, DAVIDsTEA, and Pressed Juicery. Coming very soon: CraftCaskHouse and MF Chicken. All of this added up to AAA naming Noe one of the best window shopping areas in SF.

Crime and Punishment…
Despite NV's reputation for being a yuppie sleepy bedroom community, we had plenty of crime to worry about this year. Bike thefts were rampant, there was DEA action on Chatanooga, upper Noe became a dumping ground for stolen cars, joggers were harassed, iPhones were snatched at gunpoint (and in broad daylight), crime continued on Fair Oaks and a package thief made life hell for residents. Fortunately there was also some justice served: the Fair Oaks rapist of 2011 was sentenced to 373 years to life, the notorious bad neighbor and copper thief was sentenced to 3 years after "his" house was sold, and a brave local resident caught the package thief in action with some bear spray, a bokken and…some serious chutzpah. Huzzah!
 

 
#FirstWorldProblems …
In addition to crime, we had some whining too: The city installed an electric vehicle charging station at Walgreen's that prompted some outrage and a few cheers; Whole Foods had to close the parking lot for a nanosecond in August to resurface the pavement (the horror); and a few neighbors complained about the SFPD availing themselves of "entitled" parking spots. [It's parking folks, that's all.] Another hot button was the Noe Valley Town Square – which crossed the $430,000 fundraising mark in October (the last time there was an update - is it losing momentum?). 2012 was also the year that the outside world took note of the Google Bus phenom.

There Are Lots of Reasons to Celebrate...
We live in a beautiful neighborhood, in a beautiful city – with lots of cheer around us. Here's to a safe and prosperous 2013. Happy New Year, Noe Valley!

Photos: Noe Valley Harvest Festival 2009

Just Another Beautiful Day in Noe Valley

Luke Skywalker: "She's a Flamingo Dancer."

Hula Hoop Mayhem

Sword Juggler and Fireballs

Street Painting

Huge amounts of foot traffic? Tuggey's closed.

The hay ride...sans hay.

This Week In Noe Valley: Tuggey's Clearing Out, Angry Birds Hit Big Time, Pup Photos

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• ABC7 gets emotional, highlights bathroom graffiti and can't spell "Tuggy's" [KGO; Also: KGO six months ago]
• O'Greenbergs to become Palladin with ABC license transfer [Grubstreet]
• NoPa, Outer Richmond and Parkside edge out Noe Valley for competitive bids [SFGate]
• Noe Valley's angry birds make the national news feed [MSNBC]
• Photos of your pup by Jesse Freidin tomorrow [K9ScrubClub]
• Set your child on the path to effective cyber security [NewsBiscuit]
• Insane promo filmed on San Francisco's streets [YouTube]

NVV June 2011: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

June 2011

Front Page: Happy Donuts (home of the best glazed doughnut in SF) has a line of 6 people waiting for fresh donuts at 2 a.m.; SummerFEST is happening this June 25; Noe is losing another indie bookstore on June 15; profile of Randy Myers who does the heroic work of keeping 24th St. looking great. 

Letters: More stories about the dangers of 24th & Church crosswalks - and of walking on Sanchez; dog owner says "animals are our children" and asks for people to learn to curb their kids too; support for the AT&T communications boxes if they come with greening; a reader worried about the health of local hardware store Tuggey's (Ed- yeah, the shelves are looking pretty bare these days); more on the ADA lawsuit madness; fun St. Paul church trivia (an anecdote about the filming of Sister Act at the church).

Cost of Living in Noe: Firehouse 44 at 3816 22nd St. sold for $4,050,000 in April. It was one of 6 single-family homes that sold that month, and the 2nd most expensive sale ever in Noe. The most expensive house - called the T-house at 526 Duncan (aka the House that Google Bought) - sold for $5.3 million in 2005 and just went on the market again for $6.4 million. 

Short Takes: Cesar Chavez work begins this month; Noe Courts is looking to make a June 24 grant deadline; Glen Park now has a farmer's market that runs Sundays from 10-12 through Oct. 16 in the BART parking lot at Bosworth @ Arlington; Dolores Park renovations are underway.

Store Trek: Fahrenheit new hair salon (1195 Church St. at 24th).

Rumors: The lotion and soap store Common Scents is thriving - especially since Whole Foods opened; Fima Photography is not leaving to make way for a gluten-free bakery; lots of ongoing shop vacancies on 24th St. - though a sushi bar appears possible in the old Tamasei spot; The Animal Company is moving into the old Cover to Cover spot - expected open date is July 1; Tuttimelon is no more in Noe; Noe Valley Garden Tour was a success, raising several thousand dollars for local beautification projects; Friends of Noe Valley meets again June 23; DPT is cracking down on even partial sidewalk parking.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV July/Aug 2012: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

July/August 2012

Front Page: Noe neighbors nix the idea of losing a Muni stop at 30th; First Republic approved for 24th St; merchants are noticing an uptick in petty crime, shoplifters and "unbalanced homeless men" in the neighborhood as beat cops are spread too thin.
 
Letters: A reader opines that 24th and Church needs a traffic light for pedestrians; a plea for Noe Valleyeans to be Town Square heroes; Liberty resident alarmed that Muni wants to nix the Liberty St stop (reason: it's a scary blind corner if Muni doesn't pause there); the 2012 Noe Valley Garden Tour sold 200 tickets this year and the winning garden was Jana and Geoff King on Cesar Chavez; a Valley St resident rails against the white dots requiring sidewalk repair (choice quote: "the blinding white of replacement squares is a physical annoyance..."); a fan of First Republic chimes in; a Duncan neighbor warns of the perils of rat poison to other local pets (use traps instead); more Examiner grumping; SF Girl Scouts (Ed.--and more likely their parents as anyone who works in an office knows) are the top Cookie sellers in Northern California; and farewell Miss Kit, the much-loved "oldest dog in Noe Valley."

Cost of Living in Noe: Buyers are routinely paying 5% to 10% over asking. It's hot out there. Good luck renting.

Store Trek: Philz Coffee (4298 24th St.)

Short Takes: A $1700 sandbox cover was installed at Upper Noe Rec Center to keep out the late-night feline visitors using it as a litter box. (Ed.--It's an old problem not likely to go away.)

Rumors: La Boulange is now owned by Starbucks; Radio Shack will open "sometime toward the end of August" and the 2 upper units will be ready for renters in July; Tuggey's is closing at the end of the summer at which point the new tenant will be revealed ("in negotiations"); rumors that First Republic could have moved into the Real Foods space are wishful thinking so Real Foods remains a black hole; Noe Valley Town Square needs $3.6 million and so far Patxi's has pledged the most at $24,000, matching grants are materializing and residents are organizing house parties "hosted by people who work for for large Silicon Valley companies;" US DHS director to speak July 18 at St. Philip's Church; news from the blogosphere covered here at NVSF and elsewhere; and kudos to the St Philip's baseball team for 1st and 3rd places in the citywide tournament.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV February 2011: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

February 2011

Front Page: New school district lines for Noe; RelayRides neighborhood car share comes to Noe; 7 local retailers served with warning letters threatening lawsuits from ADA activists and forced to make costly upgrades (much employment for lawyers ensues).

Letters: Unclaimed Santa photos still languishing at Just for Fun - stop by if you forgot to pick yours up; details on a broken window car break-in that didn't make it into the Police Beat.

Message from Scott Wiener: Our new District 8 Supe writes of his 2 priorities: Fixing the J Church and the Noe Valley Town Square.

Features: Profile of Sharon who sells Street Sheet on 24th St.; new luxe condos on outer Church.

Cost of Living in Noe: Condos outsold homes in November and December with the typical price for a condo at $1 million. Single-family homes are averaging $1.4 million.

Short Takes: Neighborhood Emergency Response Training (NERT) coming to Noe Feb 24 - Mar 31; Find a Lab to Love at Noe Valley Pet Co. Feb 12, 12 - 3pm; Plant*SF wants to green your sidewalk.

Store Trek: Tataki South; Patxi's; New Alternatives Cafe - 1600 Guerrero at 28th serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches daily.

Rumors: Noe Valley's Super Bowl celebrity Larry Jacobson frequents Le Zinc, Tuggey's, Firefly and Pasta Pomodoro (and misses Noe Valley Pizza); world-class sculptor and Noe Valley resident Ruth Asawa is the subject of a documentary - next showing is at the De Young on March 11; parklets are popular on 24th Street - smoking is not; reason for recent Circle Bank demonstrations in Noe still unclear (contractor and union dispute); Lola staying, Two Birds coming soon; diagonal parking comes to Castro and nets 3 new parking spots (Ed - or 4 at night when confused drivers park diagonally in the parallel spot anyway); the $2.33 million Noe Dream House and the $4.25 million Noe Fire House still not sold.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

February 2010

Front Page: The city clears the way for more restaurants on 24^th Street; Officer Lorraine Lombardo on the beat for 20 years with SFPD; Whole Foods and La Boulange are boosting business on 24th Street; a lovebird is weaned.

Letters: If your kids were photographed with Santa, Fima Photography has your free 5x7 photo for you; an alert about car break-ins in Upper Noe; and a bike-to-Marin benefit for multiple sclerosis.

Feature: Circle Bank is opening this spring; Mike Gutierrez of Tuggey's is going for the world record for the largest rubber band ball.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home prices overall saw a 13.8% drop in 2009. Average cost of a home was… $1.3 milion. (Ed.-Translation: It's now 10 degrees cooler on the surface of the sun.) Rents? Still ouch.

Traveling Voice: Cuba, Guatemala, India, Vietnam.

Store Trek: Independent Nature, Old Republic Title Company

Rumors: The Noe Valley Stroller Menace (Oh Noes!); Cover to Cover gets grief for not carrying Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue; SF Gate is looking for a freelance Noe Valley blog after the last one abruptly disappeared; and the NVV mentions Everyblock, and also this blog as a source of information: "while somewhat snarky, it keeps the news coming and has a neighborhood posting wall;" NVV goes on to mention "an interesting item duped on NoeValleySF in January was a 'Reader Rant: Dogs Need Places to Poo Too.'" We're not sure what that means, but you can read the story here. And NVSF (that's this blog again) linked to the NY Times story for the top 10 NetFlix rentals in Noe. That led NVV to poll Video Wave for their top 10 (first was Burn After Reading – pick up an issue of NVV for the full list). Thanks for the shout out, NVV!

Finally, NVV counts 9 vacant spots on 24th Street; the owner of the Artsake building is renting that spot for $3,000 and has fielded calls from a nail salon (noooo!). The 2,500 sq. foot former Mi Lindo Yucatan space should be finished by June and ready to rent – the owner is hoping for a destination restaurant. Cardio-Tone opens; Bill Yenne has another book; farewell Helen Weinschenk, former owner of the Wooden Heel (the shoe repair shop) on 24^th Street.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV Sept 2012: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

September 2012

Front Page: Occupy Noe finds a toehold outside BofA; First Republic bank bails on 24th St - the space at 24th and Sanchez is for lease for $4,000 per month; local resident and pastry check Elizabeth Dekle struggles with Parkinson's and starts a support group and blog Eating for Life; preschool shopping begins now for next fall; Tuggey's is closed, former owner Denny Giovannoli says "I don't think I've ever been this happy... I was very fortunate to be able to walk away with a great retirement;" One Medical Group, a chain of SF-based private physician offices is moving in..
 
Letters: A reader and real estate broker writes that not all homes in Noe are selling like hotcakes: "Unless a home is both well priced (probably underpriced) and shows well, those overbids won't be happening."

Cost of Living in Noe: Average price for a single family home in Noe is now $1,548,000 - 32% higher than a year ago. Rents? $3,400 on the high side for a 1 bedroom.

Store Trek: Easy Breezy (4028 24th St.)

Rumors: Bob Roddick petition to increase parking attracts 816 signatures, SFMTA abandons plan to extend bus stop; A recap of Whole Foods' August parking lot madness; Noe Valley Town Square closes in on half a million in pledges; Mill is now open; DavidsTea will have a grand opening Sept 22; Bethany returns to its renovated Church on Sanchez - there will be open house on Sept 15; 24th Street makes Via Magazine's list of best window-shopping destinations; Joe's Cafe closing, new owners moving in; Noe Valley took 5 spots in 7x7's list of 100 things to do before you die; Jerry Brown visits James Lick; 24th Street beat cop Lorainne Lombardo is recovering from an injury on the job and Officer Lou Barberini is filling in; police Capt. Moser advises there have been alot of car thefts in Noe Valley with "the thieves looking for 1990 Hondas and Toyotas."

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Trash: Black, Blue or Green Bin?

Trash stress in Noe Valley: What to do with items that aren't listed on the black, blue or green collection bins? We always wonder about things like dryer lint. Or corks. Or bicycle inner tubes.

We contacted Sunset Scavenger and spoke to Robert Reed, Public Relations Manager. We gave him a long list of items we don't know what to do with. He responded: "We have tried putting lists together but found long lists can overwhelm customers and often it may be more effective to focus on items and behaviors that provide the best opportunities to help protect the environment through source reduction, reuse and recycling. Internally we call this approach 'Better Instincts.'"

What follows is an article prepared by Sunset Scavenger in response to our questions, as well as specifics on what goes where.

Recycling more helpful at protecting environment than many know

How to recycle resources in San Francisco

A study by Institute on Self-Reliance reports that if Americans recycled and composted 90 percent of all their discards, we could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 400 million metric tons, equivalent to closing 21 percent of all U.S. coal-fired power plants. That would be a tremendous reduction in emissions.

Here is how recycling helps protect the climate: Food scraps tossed in a trash bin go to a landfill, decompose and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Those same scraps tossed in a green cart go to a modern compost facility; there much of the nutrients and carbon in the scraps are preserved in the finished compost and returned to the soil when the amendment is applied to local vineyards and farms.

Here is even better news: Compost also helps the Earth to store carbon.

What are some simple guidelines that help make sure everything that can be recycled and composted in San Francisco goes in the blue and green carts? The short answer is: all bottles, cans, paper, and nearly all plastics go in the blue recycling cart; food scraps, yard waste, and food-soiled paper go in the green cart.

Plastics acceptable for blue cart recycling include plastic tubs and lids and yogurt containers, plastic cups, clamshell containers, molded plastic packaging, plastic buckets and flower pots, and broken plastic toys as long as they have no metal parts, batteries, circuit boards or wiring.

Plastic film of any kind, such as plastic bags and plastic wrap, is not accepted in the blue cart. Styrofoam is not accepted.

Recycling managers in San Francisco like to say “if it was ever alive, you can put it in the green cart.” Food scraps and yard trimmings go in the (green) compost collection cart. Some people fear that food scraps will smell. Here is the simple fix. Place kitchen trimmings and plate scrapings in a paper milk carton, a compostable bag (inside a kitchen pail), or a paper bag with a little newspaper at the bottom to absorb moisture. Place kitchen trimmings and plate scrapings inside, roll the top shut and toss it in your green cart.

Vegetables, fruit, cooked meat and poultry, eggs, fish bones and seafood shells can all go in the green cart. They are rich in nutrients and turned into compost literally become food for the soil. Soiled paper such as used paper napkins and paper towels should also go in the green cart.

Labels on cart lids also show what items go in which carts. Additional information is posted at SFRecycling.com and SFEnvironment.org.

What they didn't mention is that recycling and composting also saves you, the consumer, money. The amount charged for trash collection is based on the size of the black bin - the smaller the bin, the lower the charge. The blue and green bins are provided no charge.

Sunset Scavenger also took our original list and annotated it with suggestions:

Blue cart:

• tinfoil (ball it up)
• aerosol cans (empty only)

Green cart:

• tea bags
• chicken bones / feathers
• used facial tissues
  
• dryer lint
• corks
• vacuum cleaner bags (full, no plastic)
• cornstarch packing peanuts (can compost if truly made from cornstarch, but put them in a paper bag and roll the top shut so they won’t blow [out of] the outdoor compost facility) update below

Black cart (goes to landfill):

• candle stubs (wax)
• dead birds (wild)
• used facial tissues
• fabric softener sheets
• cat droppings (contain toxic ammonia, pregnant women strongly advised to avoid them)
• bubble wrap
• rubber bands
• dryer lint
• corks
• vacuum cleaner bags (full, no plastic)

Bulky Item Collection, BIC, program

• small appliances (coffee makers, mixers)

Other (how to avoid landfill altogether):

• clothes/fabric (thrift stores/clothes donation boxes)
• cooking oil (SF GreaseCycle)
• mylar wrappers (return to Terracycle's pilot recycling program)
• Tetrapak containers (don’t buy aseptic packaging, switch to reusable metal bottles)
• rubber bike tubes (check on the internet for a creative reuse)
• dog droppings (flush down the toilet)
• tampon applicators (buy brands that use cardboard applicators and put cardboard in the blue black cart)
• propane canisters (reuse them)
• bicycle and Nalgene-type water bottles (switch to reuseable metal bottles, otherwise blue cart)
• cornstarch packing peanuts (can be reused or dissolved in warm water)
• Styrofoam packing peanuts (avoid them; if you receive some, drop them off at a UPS shipping store or return them to whoever sent them to you.)
• shipping pallets (reuse them)
• (broken) pottery / ceramics (put them in a paper bag and break them by hitting them with a hammer and reuse them in tile projects or toss them in the black cart)
• perfume/cologne (use it up)
• straw baskets/hats/etc (if you cut straw baskets and hats into small pieces, we can compost the straw)

Can we use Lawn and Leaf BioBags curbside (as opposed to paper bags)?

Watch out for “bio-plastic.” The key word there is plastic. We can not compost plastic. The best container for compostable material is the green cart. If you routinely have more compostable material than fits in your green cart, call us and we will bring you a larger or a second green cart. If you have extra prunings, tie them with a string and set them next to your green cart. Local hardware stores sell large paper bags, some people use to hold extra branch cuttings. Manufacturers of large compostable bags need to more clearly mark the bags as compostable and certify that their bags are truly compostable. Some look like [regular] plastic bags to recycling workers. [Editor -- the bags from Tuggey's or Walgreens are clearly marked on the side.]

Do household batteries still go in a bag on top of black bin? (They have been stolen there, so we bring them to collection places.)

We favor rechargables. People can also place used household batteries in a clear plastic bag on top of their black cart, and we will collect them for recycling.

UPDATE (1/28): We received a correction from Heidi Obermeit, Waste Reduction Specialist for Sunset Scavenger:

Most of the information listed in the article is accurate but there are a few items that should be removed from the acceptable green cart items. While the majority of this material may be organic we do not accept dryer lint, corks, full vacuum cleaner bags, or cornstarch packing peanuts in the green cart. These materials should all go in the black cart with the exception of the cornstarch packing peanuts which can be reused, dissolved in warm water for disposal, or placed in the black cart.

Also, we do accept used facial tissues in the green cart and used tampon applicators should go in the black cart.

[Official Site: SF Recycling]
[NVSF: SF GreaseCycle]
[NVSF: Recycling Theft = $469,000]