Trash & Recycling in Cupertino, CA (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Cupertino, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
New occupants in Cupertino have ten days to start solid waste collection service on their own, and Section 6.24.040 lets the Director of Public Works step in and order the franchised hauler to begin service if they don't. That authority keeps every occupied property, not just cooperative ones, on the pickup system.
Cupertino Rule for Starting Trash Collection Service
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.040
The owner or tenant shall commence solid waste collection service within ten days after occupancy of a premises, or portion thereof. In the event service is not initiated within such period of time, the Director may give written notice to the owner or tenant that solid waste collection service is required. If service is not initiated by the owner or tenant within ten days after the date of mail...
Bin Placement Rules
Cupertino residents may not set carts out more than 24 hours before pickup and must pull them back within 24 hours afterward, dropping to just 12 hours if the cart sits in a bike lane. Section 6.24.070 also requires every container to stay closed except while being loaded or emptied.
Cupertino Curbside Cart Set-Out Time Limits
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.070
All garbage, organic waste materials and non-organic recyclables containers shall be kept in a sanitary condition with the lid closed or cap secured, except when being loaded or unloaded. ... Garbage ... containers, organic materials containers and non-organic recycling containers shall be placed at the authorized collection station not more than twenty-four hours before the scheduled collectio...
Bulk Item Disposal
Cupertino lets single-family households put uncontained large items too big for a regular bin out for a scheduled pickup, but only on private property next to the City right-of-way, and only within 24 hours of the scheduled collection. Section 9.18.215 bars leaving those bulky items sitting in the right-of-way itself while waiting for the collector.
Cupertino Bulky Item Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 9.18.215
Uncontained large items originating from single-family homes that will not fit into a receptacle may be placed on private property adjacent to the City right-of-way for scheduled collection within 24 hours of such collection by an agent or employee of the City or by the awardee of a franchise by the City to act as garbage and recycling collector. Any such bulky item(s) may not be placed in the ...
Recycling Requirements
Cupertino requires multi-family properties and businesses generating four or more cubic yards of solid waste weekly to subscribe to non-organic recycling service. Municipal Code Section 6.24.035 sets the subscription duty, lets the Director of Public Works excuse a multi-family site that lacks room for the containers, and treats mixed-waste processing at a recovery facility as compliance.
Cupertino Mandatory Non-Organic Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.035
The owner or tenant designees of multi-family dwelling premises are required to subscribe to and maintain mandatory non-organic residential recycling services for each individual household in the dwelling. An exception may be granted at the discretion of the Director if it is determined there is not sufficient storage space for the containers at the multi-family dwelling premises. All businesse...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Every household and business in Cupertino must subscribe to organic waste collection and keep food scraps, yard trimmings and other organics out of the trash. Section 6.24.037.010 covers single-family generators and Section 6.24.037.020 covers commercial and multi-family generators, implementing the state's SB 1383 mandate through the city's own franchised green-cart program.
Cupertino Mandatory Organic Waste Separation
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.037.010
Single-family organic waste generators shall: Subscribe to the City's organic waste collection services for all organic waste generated. The City and/or its designee shall have the right to review the number and size of a generator's containers to evaluate the adequacy of capacity provided for each type of collection service and to review the proper separation of materials and containment of ma...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping refuse, garbage or hazardous waste on a Cupertino street, alley, gutter or park is unlawful under Section 6.24.110, and property owners cannot keep waste anywhere on site except in the containers Section 6.24.070 requires. A carve-out lets residents keep a proper composting bin without violating the rule.
Cupertino Illegal Dumping Prohibition and Penalties
Significant RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.110
It is unlawful for any person or entity in the City to throw, deposit or store refuse, garbage or hazardous waste, or to cause the same to be thrown, deposited or stored, upon any street, alley, gutter, park, or other public place. Furthermore, no property owner and/or tenant with control over any premises shall keep or maintain any garbage, non-organic recyclables, organic waste, hazardous mat...
Yard Waste Collection
Cupertino requires outdoor trash, recycling, and yard waste receptacles to stay closed so material is not scattered by wind or animals. Section 9.18.215 gives residential yard waste bins one exception: the lid may sit partially open if branches or limbs will not fit with it closed, but a yard waste bin holding any food waste must stay fully closed when not being serviced.
Cupertino Yard Waste Bin Lid Requirements
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 9.18.215
Persons placing material intended for disposal or recycling in any public or privately authorized outdoor receptacle shall ensure that the lid is maintained completely closed. The over-filling of any outdoor receptacle intended for, but not limited to, trash, compostable organics and recyclables, in a manner that does not allow the lid to be completely closed is prohibited. The lid of a residen...
Collection Schedule
Cupertino caps how long garbage can sit on a property at one week and requires it be put out for collection at least once a week. Section 6.24.050 sets that baseline frequency, while giving dry non-organic recyclables a longer, one-month accumulation window as long as they stay out of public view.
Cupertino Weekly Trash Collection Schedule Rule
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.050
No more than one week's accumulation of garbage shall be kept or permitted to remain upon any premises in the City. At least once a week, all garbage and organic waste produced, kept, deposited, placed or accumulated within any premises in the City shall be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Dry non-organic recyclables may be accumulated for up to one month (if neces...
Recycling Rules
Cupertino bans putting garbage into a bin marked for organic or non-organic recycling, and Section 6.24.035 guarantees covered businesses at least a 32-gallon recycling container collected weekly. The rule sits alongside the subscription mandate and exists to keep the blue and green streams usable at the material recovery facility.
Cupertino Recycling Contamination and Service Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 6.24.035
The disposal of garbage in containers designated for organic waste recycling or processing or for source separated or single-stream recycling is prohibited. The solid waste collector is prohibited from providing solid waste service to businesses subject to the mandatory non-organic recycling requirements without providing a non-organic recycling program that includes the collection of a contain...
Looking for Santa Clara County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cupertino city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Santa Clara County →