Creative Commons/ Steve Stearns

An Allied Waste collection truck

Garbage collection is back on schedule and contract negotiations are resuming after a two-day strike by landfill workers, truck drivers and clerical staff that disrupted San Mateo County's garbage collection last week.

The 48-hour strike was started by 13 workers at the Ox Mountain Landfill, who were joined by 40 to 50 clerical workers and roughly 200 truck drivers, trash collectors and mechanics based at Allied Waste Industries' San Carlos facility.

The employees returned to work Friday and began catching up on two days of garbage backup, which affected approximately 36,000 customers in various San Mateo County communities including San Carlos, Hillsborough, Redwood City and Belmont, Allied Waste spokeswoman Peg Mulloy said.

"There were no piles of garbage anywhere, no infestations," Mulloy said, "But it was an interruption and inconvenience to our customers."

Trash pickup was back on schedule by Sunday afternoon, according to Allied Waste.

Negotiations over benefits for the landfill workers, represented by Teamsters Local 350, are continuing this week, Mulloy said, as are negotiations over pay for the San Carlos facility clerical staff.

A spokesman for Teamsters Local 350 did not return calls for comment.