Trash & Recycling in Glendale, CA (2026)
11 verified trash & recycling rules for Glendale, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Glendale provides curbside trash, recycling, and green waste collection. Residents must separate waste into appropriate bins. SB 1383 requires organic waste diversion. Collection schedules vary by neighborhood.
Glendale Trash Pickup Schedules & Rules
Some RestrictionsCal. SB 1383 (2016) — Statewide Organic Waste Reduction Targets (Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 39730.6)
adopt regulations that achieve the specified targets for reducing organic waste in landfills. The bill would authorize local jurisdictions to charge and collect fees to recover the local jurisdiction’s costs incurred in complying with the regulations. The bill would require, no later than July 1, 2020, the department, in consultation with the state board, to analyze the progress that the waste ...
Bin Placement Rules
Glendale Municipal Code Section 8.44.081 requires automated trash, recycling and green-waste carts to be set at the curb no earlier than 3:00 p.m. the day before collection and removed by 8:00 p.m. on collection day, spaced at least three feet from parked cars and one foot apart.
Glendale Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code § 8.44.081
Automated containers shall be placed at the edge of the curb on either side of the driveway in front of the premises at a minimum of three feet from any parked car and at a minimum of one foot between each automated cart. Such containers shall be placed so that the embossed arrow on the lid faces the street. B. No person shall place any container in any public highway, street, or alley at an...
Bulk Item Disposal
Glendale Municipal Code Section 8.44.070 lets residential customers request free curbside pickup of bulky items and universal waste, but only with advance notice, only for residential customers, and only if items sit atop the curb at least five feet from any parked car or fixed object.
Glendale Bulky Item Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code § 8.44.070
Residential property customers shall be allowed to place waste which by reason of its character cannot practically be placed in such receptacles, including bulky items and universal waste, upon advance notice to the city. The city shall receive requests for and provide for the collection of certain bulky items and universal waste from residential property customers of the city who shall request...
Recycling Requirements
Every household and business in Glendale must subscribe to the city's three-cart collection service, blue for recyclables, green for organics, gray for refuse, under Municipal Code Section 8.44.080(C). Carts go out only on the assigned collection day, no earlier than 3:00 p.m. the day before, and must come off the curb by 8:00 p.m. that night.
Glendale Curbside Recycling Subscription Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale Municipal Code §§ 8.44.080(C), 8.44.081(B)
Residential waste generators shall subscribe to the city's gray container, blue container and green container collection services for all waste generated. Commercial waste generators shall subscribe to gray container, blue container and green container services provided by the designated commercial franchised hauler. Generators may additionally manage their waste by preventing or reducing waste...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Every waste generator in Glendale, residents and businesses alike, must source-separate trash into three streams under Municipal Code § 8.44.080: food scraps and yard trimmings go in the green organics container, recyclables in the blue container, and everything else in gray. Mixing streams or dumping recyclables and organics into the gray refuse container violates the ordinance.
Glendale Mandatory Organics Separation Rule
Heavy RestrictionsGlendale, CA Municipal Code § 8.44.080
Waste generators shall source-separate their waste into recyclables, organics, and refuse. Generators shall place source-separated yard trimmings and organic waste, including food scraps, in the green container; source-separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and refuse in the gray container. The city may determine that streams can be combined in the event that the city or a city-p...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
When an official city holiday falls on a scheduled trash day, Glendale doesn't skip the pickup, it postpones it to the next working day, per Municipal Code § 8.44.040(C). The same section lets collection slip during strikes, severe weather or an "Act of God," while the normal rule limits refuse buildup to one week under § 8.44.030.
Glendale Holiday Trash Pickup Schedule Rule
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA Municipal Code § 8.44.040
To prevent propagation of nuisances, refuse, recyclables, and organic material shall not be allowed to remain on the premises for more than the period allowed by Section 8.44.030, except when: A. Disruptions occur due to strike; or B. Severe weather conditions or "Acts of God" make collection impossible using normal collection equipment; or C. Official holidays interrupt the normal seven day co...
Illegal Dumping
Glendale bans dumping litter and refuse on any street, alley, sidewalk or private lot, whether occupied or vacant. Violators face a straight misdemeanor: up to $1,000 and six months in jail, with each day of continued dumping counted as a separate offense.
Glendale Illegal Dumping and Litter Law
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 8.32.020 (Disposition in receptacles required); Sec. 8.32.060 (Maintenance—Vacant lots or improved property)
No person shall throw, sweep or deposit litter from any building or lot in or upon any gutter, street, alley, parkway, sidewalk or other public place within the city, except in public receptacles or in authorized private receptacles for collection. ... No person shall throw or deposit litter on any vacant private property, improved or unimproved, within the city whether owned by such person or ...
Yard Waste Collection
Glendale directs residents to place yard trimmings, food scraps and other organic waste in the green container for curbside pickup, never mixed with recyclables or trash. Municipal Code Section 8.44.030 caps how long organic material and yard debris can sit on a property at 15 days, longer than the one-week limit for ordinary refuse.
Glendale Yard Trimmings Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale Municipal Code §§ 8.44.080(A), 8.44.030
Waste generators shall source-separate their waste into recyclables, organics, and refuse. Generators shall place source-separated yard trimmings and organic waste, including food scraps, in the green container; source-separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and refuse in the gray container. ... Premises will be kept in a clean and sanitary condition, and any refuse shall not be p...
Dumpster Rules
Glendale requires anyone with charge of a commercial or industrial waste container to use a receptacle type approved by the director of public works, fitted with a tight lid to keep out coyotes, dogs, cats and rodents. Municipal Code Section 8.44.093 further makes the hauler print its name and phone number on every bin in two-inch letters.
Glendale Commercial Dumpster Container Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale Municipal Code §§ 8.44.090(A), 8.44.093
Except as provided in subsection B of this section, every person having charge or control of any place or premises in the city where gray container waste, blue container materials and green container materials accumulates shall place and keep the same in a receptacle of the type or kind prescribed by the director of public works. ... Every waste collector who owns, rents or controls any contain...
Collection Schedule
Glendale bars refuse from sitting out more than one calendar week and organics more than 15 days under Municipal Code Section 8.44.030. Residents on automated collection must curb their gray, blue and green carts on a fixed window, and public works can order more frequent pickup to protect public health.
Glendale Residential Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale, CA Municipal Code Sec. 8.44.040 (Minimum Collection Schedules); Sec. 8.44.030 (Accumulation of Material); Sec. 8.44.081 (Collection Requirements - Residential Property Generators)
To prevent propagation of nuisances, refuse, recyclables, and organic material shall not be allowed to remain on the premises for more than the period allowed by Section 8.44.030, except when: A. Disruptions occur due to strike; or B. Severe weather conditions or "Acts of God" make collection impossible using normal collection equipment; or C. Official holidays interrupt the normal seven day co...
Recycling Rules
Glendale requires every waste generator, residential or commercial, to sort trash into three curbside containers: recyclables in blue, organics and food scraps in green, refuse in gray. Municipal Code Section 8.44.080 bans mixing those streams or dumping prohibited contaminants into any container, and the city treats repeat contamination as a code violation.
Glendale Recycling Container Sorting Rules
Some RestrictionsGlendale Municipal Code § 8.44.080(A), (B)
Waste generators shall source-separate their waste into recyclables, organics, and refuse. Generators shall place source-separated yard trimmings and organic waste, including food scraps, in the green container; source-separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and refuse in the gray container. The city may determine that streams can be combined in the event that the city or a city-p...
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