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

If you live in Redding or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Redding has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping garbage, rubbish, or any nuisance matter on Redding streets, sidewalks, parks, vacant lots, or private property without consent is an infraction under the city's solid waste code, with fines that climb from $100 to $500 for repeat violations within a year.

Key details: Prohibited locations: Streets, sidewalks, parks, vacant lots, private land. Charge level: Infraction under Section 9.28.100(B). First-offense fine: $100 per Section 9.28.320. Repeat fines: $200 second, $500 third or later violation. Cleanup cost recovery: City can lien the property for cleanup costs.

Illegal dumping under Section 9.28.100 is charged as an infraction. Section 9.28.320 sets the penalty schedule for the chapter at $100 for a first violation within a year, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation in the same year. The city can also recover cleanup costs from the property owner as a lien on the premises under Sections 9.28.130 and 9.28.140.

Bin Placement Rules

Redding requires automated refuse carts to sit within two feet of the curb on collection day, out no earlier than 12 hours before pickup and returned to a screened storage spot within 12 hours after, so containers stay out of view from the street the rest of the week.

Key details: Curb distance: No more than 2 feet from curb. Earliest set-out: 12 hours before scheduled pickup. Latest return: 12 hours after collection. Storage requirement: Screened from public right-of-way between pickups. Noncompliant cans: City can condemn and remove after 5-day notice.

Placing a cart earlier than twelve hours before pickup, leaving it out later than twelve hours after collection, or storing it in view of the street between pickups violates Section 9.28.200(C) and is enforced under Section 9.28.320: an infraction fined $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense within a year. A noncompliant can itself may also be condemned and removed under Section 9.28.160.

Bulk Item Disposal

Redding will not collect large household items such as refrigerators, washing machines, furniture, or appliances through ordinary cart service. Section 9.28.150(G) requires residents to arrange special bulky-item pickup through the city or dispose of the item through an authorized self-hauler, keeping oversized waste separate from routine weekly collection.

Key details: Bulky items excluded: Not collected through regular cart service. Disposal method: Special city arrangement or authorized self-hauler. Self-haul destinations: Licensed transfer station, landfill, or recovery facility. Hazardous/medical waste: Never placed with bulky items; separate collection sites. First-offense fine: $100 under Section 9.28.320.

Setting a large household item at the curb for regular cart pickup without arranging special bulky-item service, or self-hauling it to an unlicensed site, violates Section 9.28.150 and is enforced under the chapter's general penalty, Section 9.28.320: an infraction fined $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense within a year.

Collection Schedule

Every single-family home, multifamily building, and commercial property in Redding must maintain a subscription for regular solid waste collection from the city, or arrange permitted self-hauling, so that no premises in the city goes without organized disposal service.

Key details: Who must subscribe: Single-family, multifamily, and commercial premises. Service options: City subscription or approved self-haul/subcontract. Exclusive collector rule: Only the city or authorized haulers may collect. Billing method: Same billing and delinquency rules as water/light bills. Unpaid charges: Become a lien on the served property.

Operating a single-family, multifamily, or commercial property in Redding without a solid waste subscription or an approved self-haul/subcontract arrangement violates Section 9.28.170(B), and collecting or hauling waste within the city without authorization violates the exclusive-collector rule in Section 9.28.170(D). Both are enforced under the chapter's general penalty, Section 9.28.320: an infraction fined $100 for a first violation within a year, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation.

Yard Waste Collection

Redding collects tree trimmings, limbs, trunks, stumps, brush, and garden trimmings without a can, but only if each piece is under six inches in diameter, four feet long, and seventy-five pounds, and the material is tied into secure bundles for pickup.

Key details: Diameter limit: 6 inches maximum for uncollected trimmings. Length limit: 4 feet maximum. Weight limit: 75 pounds maximum. Bundling required: Brush and garden trimmings must be tied in bundles. No receptacle needed: Tree trimmings can be set loose if within limits.

Setting out tree limbs, trunks, or brush that exceed the six-inch diameter, four-foot length, or seventy-five-pound limit, or that is not securely bundled, means the material simply will not be collected under Section 9.28.180; if it is instead left to accumulate at the curb or on the property, it can be cited separately as an accumulation violation under Section 9.28.070, enforced through the chapter's $100/$200/$500 escalating fine schedule at Section 9.28.320.

Recycling Requirements

Redding operates a single-stream blue cart for recycling under Redding Municipal Code Chapter 9.28 (Solid Waste and Recycling), administered by the City of Redding Solid Waste Utility. California AB 341 (Public Resources Code §42649+) requires businesses generating 4+ cubic yards/week to recycle; AB 1826 (PRC §42649.81+) extends the rule to commercial organics; SB 1383 (PRC §42652+) is the comprehensive residential and business organics mandate, with Redding resident enforcement that began in January 2024.

Key details: Recycling Stream: Single-stream blue cart. Accepted: #1/#2 plastic bottles/jugs, aluminum/tin cans, glass bottles/jars, cardboard, newspaper, magazines. Not Accepted (Blue Cart): Plastic bags, styrofoam, pizza boxes, shredded paper. Commercial Threshold (AB 341): ≥4 cubic yards/week solid waste. Tier 1 SB 1383: Effective Jan 1, 2022 (supermarkets, food distributors).

Contaminated carts may be left unserviced with a courtesy tag. SB 1383 sorting violations are subject to state-required fines of $50–$100 first violation, $100–$200 second, and $250–$500 third within 12 months under 14 CCR §18997.2, with a notice and a meaningful opportunity to cure before any fine is assessed. AB 341 (commercial recycling) and AB 1826 (commercial organics) violations carry similar tiered penalties.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

The City of Redding collects single-family trash once a week on a route-based day. Find your day by address using the city's Waste Wizard tool or Solid Waste app. Holiday weeks push affected routes one day later.

Key details: Collection frequency: Weekly trash (single-family). Find your day: Waste Wizard tool or app. Holiday shift: Affected routes one day late. Bulk pickup: Call 530-224-6201 to schedule. Set-out time: By 5:30 a.m.; routes start 5 a.m..

No monetary penalty specified; carts must have lids closed and be spaced at least 3 feet apart and 6 feet from obstacles, or they may not be collected.

The Bottom Line

Redding's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Redding is broadly strict or permissive.

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