Trash & Recycling in Mountain View, CA

If you live in Mountain View or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Mountain View has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Recycling Requirements

Mountain View residents and businesses must separate recyclables and organics from trash under California AB 341, AB 1826, and SB 1383. Recology provides three-cart service for compliance.

Key details: State mandates: AB 341, AB 1826, SB 1383. Blue cart: Paper, metals, glass, rigid plastic. Green cart: Food scraps, yard trimmings. Not accepted: Plastic bags, foam, batteries, e-waste. Commercial: Required for 5+ unit buildings.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping, throwing or depositing refuse on any public right-of-way, waterway or private property other than an approved disposal area is a misdemeanor under City Code Sec. 16.5, and it's separately unlawful to let waste scatter onto a street or neighboring lot by wind or runoff.

Key details: Prohibition: Dumping refuse on ROW, waterways, or non-disposal-area premises. Also banned: Letting refuse blow/wash onto public or private property. Default penalty: Misdemeanor under Sec. 16.0. Infraction option: $100/$200/$500 escalating fines under Sec. 1.7. State law overlap: Penal Code Sec. 374.3 cited in footnote.

Dumping refuse on a public right-of-way, waterway, or any premises other than an approved disposal area, or letting refuse blow or wash onto a street or neighboring property, violates Sec. 16.5. It's a misdemeanor under Sec. 16.0, though the city attorney can instead charge it as an infraction under Sec. 1.7, with fines of $100, $200, then $500 for repeat violations within a year.

Compared to other cities, Mountain View takes a harder line on illegal dumping. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Recology is Mountain View's exclusive hauler for garbage, recycling, and organics. Containers go out no earlier than the evening before collection and must be removed by the end of service day.

Key details: Hauler: Recology Mountain View. Service frequency: Weekly. Carts provided: Gray trash, blue recycling, green organics. Set-out time: After 5 p.m. day before pickup. Removal: By end of collection day.

Dumpster Rules

Property owners can't keep a dumpster, box, or container sitting out for more than 72 straight hours under City Code Sec. 25.4(h), unless it's tied to ongoing construction or otherwise permitted. Standard garbage receptacles must also stay under 75 pounds when full and be fully enclosed, per Sec. 16.9.

Key details: Time limit: 72 consecutive hours for dumpsters/boxes/containers. Construction exception: Ongoing construction activity extends the limit. Container weight cap: 75 lbs when full (Sec. 16.9). Enforcement: Public nuisance abatement, Secs. 25.3/25.8-25.9. Cost recovery: Removal cost becomes a lien on the property.

Leaving a dumpster, box, or container out more than 72 consecutive hours without an active construction justification, or using a garbage container that exceeds 75 pounds when full or lacks a close-fitting cover, violates Secs. 25.4(h) and 16.9. The city can declare it a nuisance under Sec. 25.3 and abate it, placing removal costs as a lien on the property under Sec. 25.9.

Collection Schedule

Every property in Mountain View must have garbage and waste removed at least once a week, per City Code Sec. 16.4, with more frequent pickup required if waste accumulates faster. Recyclables follow whatever periodic schedule the finance director sets, and letting refuse pile up into a nuisance is separately unlawful.

Key details: Removal frequency: At least once weekly for garbage/waste. Recycling: Periodic schedule set by finance director. Container capacity: Must hold a full week's refuse (Sec. 16.11). Nuisance clause: Accumulating refuse unlawfully is separately banned. Penalty: Misdemeanor under Sec. 16.0.

Letting garbage or waste sit longer than a week, or accumulating refuse so it becomes a nuisance, violates Sec. 16.4 and is a misdemeanor under the chapter's general violation clause, Sec. 16.0. Businesses generating waste faster than weekly bins can hold must arrange more frequent service or added containers to stay compliant.

Recycling Rules

Mountain View's City Code makes curbside recyclables the property of the city or its licensed hauler the moment they're set out, and Section 16.22 bans anyone else from picking through, scattering, or hauling them off without the owner's consent. Violating Chapter 16 is a misdemeanor under Section 16.0, and only the resident, the city, its licensed operator, or a permitted nonprofit may touch an approved recycling container at the curb.

Key details: Governing sections: City Code Sec. 16.19(b), 16.20, 16.22. Recyclables ownership: Become city/hauler property once placed at curb. Scavenging penalty: Misdemeanor under Sec. 16.0. Who may collect: Resident, city, licensed hauler, or permitted nonprofit only. Nonprofit fundraising collection: Requires a recycling fund-raising permit.

Taking, scattering, or damaging recyclables left at the curb without the owner's or hauler's consent violates Section 16.22, and any violation of Chapter 16, including this one, is a misdemeanor under Section 16.0. Removing an approved recycling container itself, not just its contents, without authorization is a separate violation of Section 16.20. The city's licensed disposal service operator and Public Works can report scavenging, and each incident of unauthorized collection can draw its own citation.

Bin Placement Rules

Mountain View requires garbage, waste, and recycling containers to be pulled to the street sidewalk line no more than 24 hours before your scheduled collection and pulled back within 24 hours after, under Section 16.21 of the City Code. Containers must then sit somewhere on the property where they are screened from street view, and any violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 16.21. Set-out window: No earlier than 24 hours before collection. Pull-in window: Off the street within 24 hours after pickup. Storage requirement: Screened from street view between pickups. Container weight limit: 75 pounds filled, per Sec. 16.9-16.10.

Setting containers at the curb more than 24 hours before pickup, or failing to pull them back and screen them from street view within 24 hours after collection, violates Section 16.21. Overweight containers exceeding 75 pounds when filled, per Sections 16.9 and 16.10, are also noncompliant. Any Chapter 16 violation, including improper bin placement or storage, is charged as a misdemeanor under Section 16.0, and the city's disposal service operator or Public Works can flag repeat violations for enforcement.

Mandatory Organics Recycling

Every single-family household in Mountain View must subscribe to the city's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and yard waste into the green cart, recyclables into the blue cart, and trash into the gray cart under Section 16.102 of the City Code. The rule implements California's SB 1383, and noncompliance can draw administrative citations and civil penalties starting January 1, 2024.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 16.102(a)-(b). State mandate: Implements SB 1383 organic waste law. Sorting requirement: Food/yard waste in green cart, recyclables in blue. Enforcement start: Citations/fines begin January 1, 2024. Compliance window: 60 days after a notice of violation.

Failing to subscribe to organic waste collection, or dumping food scraps, yard trimmings, or other organic waste in the gray trash cart instead of the green cart, violates Section 16.102. The city enforcement official issues educational notices first, but since January 1, 2024, noncompliant generators face administrative citations, fines, or civil penalties under Section 16.109, with a 60-day compliance window after a formal notice of violation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Mountain View actively enforces its mandatory organics recycling requirements.

The Bottom Line

Mountain View is tougher than many cities when it comes to trash & recycling. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Mountain View, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Mountain View's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.