Trash & Recycling in Pomona, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

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

Recycling Rules

Pomona requires every business to source-separate or otherwise divert its commercial solid waste under City Code Section 62-785, the city's mandatory commercial recycling ordinance adopted under Public Resources Code Section 42649. Businesses that fail to comply face the same escalating fines and administrative citations that apply to all Pomona Code violations.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 62-785, Mandatory commercial recycling. Effective date: Applies to all businesses since July 1, 2012. State authority: Public Resources Code § 42649. First-offense fine: Up to $100 infraction fine (§ 1-7). Repeat-offense fine: Up to $500 for additional violations in a year.

A business that fails to take any diversion action required by Section 62-785, such as source separating recyclables or subscribing to hauler service, is subject to Pomona's general penalty under Section 1-7: prosecution as an infraction or misdemeanor, with infraction fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and up to $500 for each later violation of the same provision within a year.

Yard Waste Collection

Pomona's code caps what qualifies as collectible "green waste" at branches under four inches thick, four feet long and 40 pounds, and excludes palm fronds, succulents and stumps entirely. Residents can put it out uncontainerized, piled or bagged at the curb, for the city's separate green waste collection service.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 62-581 (definitions). Branch/limb size cap: 4 in. diameter, 4 ft. length, 40 lbs.. Excluded materials: Palm fronds, succulents, tree stumps. Holiday trees: Accepted as green waste. Collection format: Piled or bagged at the curb.

Green waste that exceeds the four-inch/four-foot/40-pound thresholds, or includes excluded material like palm fronds, succulents or stumps, does not qualify for uncontainerized curbside pickup and can be left uncollected; commingling it with regular solid waste or dumping it on public property instead violates Secs. 62-590 and 62-592's bans on unlawful deposit and burial of solid waste, both enforceable as a misdemeanor or infraction under Article X of the City Code.

Pomona is more permissive than most cities when it comes to yard waste collection. That said, there are still limits.

Mandatory Organics Recycling

Every Pomona household and business must subscribe to the city's organic waste collection service and sort food and yard waste into the correct color-coded bin under City Code Secs. 62-653 and 62-786. Skipping the required containers or service tier draws inspection and escalating fines under the city's SB 1383 enforcement program.

Key details: Governing sections: City Code Secs. 62-653, 62-786, 62-795. Who must comply: All residential and commercial generators (non self-haulers). Civil penalties began: January 1, 2024. First-violation fine: $50 to $100. Compliance window: 60 days after notice of violation.

Sec. 62-795 requires a notice of violation giving 60 days to come into compliance before the city imposes an administrative citation, with base penalties of $50 to $100 for a first violation, $100 to $200 for a second violation of the same requirement within a year, and $250 to $500 for a third or later violation within that year; factors like willfulness, economic benefit and ability to pay adjust the amount within each range, and a recipient may request a hearing before a city-appointed hearing officer to appeal the citation.

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

Dumpster Rules

Commercial and multifamily bins in Pomona must stay off city streets except during active dumping, and even then for no more than 24 hours next to the curb. Every outdoor bin must be kept lid-closed, and downtown-district dumpsters need a locking enclosure or self-closing lid under City Code Division 5, Containers.

Key details: Governing sections: City Code Secs. 62-811 through 62-814. Street placement limit: 24 hours max, curb-adjacent, during dumping only. Downtown lock rule: Enclosure, self-locking lid, or padlock required. Compliance deadline: 60 days from notice of enactment. Bin construction: Metal, tight-fitting lid, reflectorized sides.

Noncompliant downtown-area dumpster owners had 60 calendar days from notice of the locking-enclosure rule's enactment to comply before being in violation under Sec. 62-812(e). Violations of the solid waste article are enforceable under Chapter 62's general Division 5 and 6 remedies, including administrative citation and prosecution as a misdemeanor or infraction under Article X of the City Code; each shared container's users bear a joint duty to keep it locked and secured under Sec. 62-812(f).

Bin Placement Rules

Pomona requires every solid waste container to stay lid-closed between pickups and bars storing bins on city streets under City Code Sections 62-812 and 62-813. Downtown specific plan properties must also keep bins in a locked enclosure, and containers left curbside during dumping operations may sit for no more than 24 hours.

Key details: Lid rule: All outdoor containers must stay lid-closed or locked (§62-812). Downtown enclosure: Masonry structure or self-locking lid required (§62-812(b)). Street placement limit: Max 24 hours curbside during dumping operations (§62-813). Compliance window: 60 days from notice to comply (§62-812(e)). Labeling: Business name/phone in 1-inch letters on bins (§62-811).

Leaving a container unlocked or lid-open outdoors, storing bins on a city street outside the 24-hour dumping window, or ignoring the downtown specific plan's masonry-enclosure or locking-lid requirement after the 60-day compliance window violates Sections 62-811 through 62-813. Because these sections set no standalone fine, the city's general penalty, Section 1-7, applies: an infraction punishable by up to $100 for a first offense and up to $500 for repeat violations.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping refuse on another person's property, a public street, alley or vacant lot in Pomona violates City Code Sections 62-590 and 62-592, and a vehicle used to dump more than a cubic yard of waste can be seized and impounded for 30 days under Chapter 34's nuisance vehicle ordinance.

Key details: Core prohibition: No depositing refuse on public/private property (§62-590). Burial ban: Unauthorized deposit or burial of waste (§62-592). Vehicle impoundment: 30 days for repeat dumping over 1 cubic yard. Impoundment trigger: Arrest plus prior conviction within 3 years (§34-42). Owner hearing: Post-storage hearing request within 10 days of notice.

Depositing refuse on another person's property, a public street, alley or vacant lot violates Section 62-590; burying or depositing solid waste without authorization violates Section 62-592. Standard penalties under Section 1-7 run up to $500 for repeat infractions or prosecution as a misdemeanor, and a vehicle used to dump more than one cubic yard of waste can be seized and impounded for 30 days under Chapter 34, Article II.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Pomona actively enforces its illegal dumping requirements.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Pomona bars trash, recycling and green waste pickups from commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily sites between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. near residential zones, and requires every commercial bin to sit clear of rights-of-way. A hauler must pull its bins within a week after a customer cancels service.

Key details: Governing sections: City Code Secs. 62-701 through 62-705. Collection blackout: 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. near residential zones. Container standard: Metal, tight lid, labeled, reflectorized. Bin removal after cancellation: Within one week of notice. Residential billing: City's franchised hauler bills directly.

A container that obstructs a right-of-way, lacks required labeling or reflectors, or is collected outside the 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. window near residential zones violates Secs. 62-703 and 62-704 and is enforceable, like other solid waste article violations, as a misdemeanor or infraction under Article X of the City Code; a hauler that fails to remove bins within one week of a service cancellation notice breaches its Sec. 62-705 duty directly to the property owner.

Recycling Requirements

Every single-family home in Pomona must subscribe to the city's three-container organic waste and recycling collection service under City Code Section 62-653, sorting green organics, blue recyclables and black trash into the correct bin. Skipping the service or contaminating a container triggers enforcement under Section 62-795, with fines escalating from $50 to $500 per violation.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 62-653, single-family organic waste generators. Container system: Three-cart sort: green organics, blue recyclables, black trash. First-offense fine: $50 to $100 per violation. Repeat-offense fine: $250 to $500 for third or later violation. Cure period: 60 days to comply after notice of violation.

Failing to subscribe to organic waste collection, placing organics in the black container, or contaminating recycling bins violates Section 62-653 and triggers a notice of violation under Section 62-795. The city allows 60 days to cure before issuing an administrative citation; fines run $50-$100 for a first offense, $100-$200 for a second, and $250-$500 for a third or later violation, with civil penalties enforceable since January 1, 2024.

The Bottom Line

Pomona 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 Pomona, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Pomona's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.