Trash & Recycling in Madera, CA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Madera, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Madera requires collection containers to sit at the curb on the travelway side, at the travelway edge if there is no curb, or in an authorized rear alley on collection day under Municipal Code Section 5-3.23. Containers must stay reachable by the collection vehicle and cannot be blocked by a parked car or other obstacle.
Madera Curbside Container Placement Rule
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.23
Authorized collection containers shall be placed at the curb of a public street on the travelway side of the curb or the edge of the travelway if no curb is present on the day of collection or the property's rear alley, if existing and authorized by the City Engineer. The containers shall be readily accessible to the collection vehicle and not blocked by any vehicle or other obstacle that would...
Bin Placement Rules
Madera Municipal Code Section 5-3.24 requires containers to come off the curb and be stored on the property between the front yard setback line and the rear yard fence, and that has to happen no later than midnight on collection day. The rule keeps carts out of the public right-of-way outside the pickup window.
Madera Trash Container Storage Requirement
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.24
Containers shall be removed from the point of collection and placed on the customer's property between the front yard setback line and the rear yard fence. Removal of the containers from their pick- up location shall be accomplished not later than midnight on the day of collection.
Bulk Item Disposal
Madera provides a special disposal service under Municipal Code Section 5-3.12 for refuse too large or too much for a standard container, or for pickup outside the regular route schedule. Rules and charges for that oversized or off-schedule service are set separately by City Council resolution, not fixed in the code itself.
Madera Special/Bulk Refuse Disposal Service
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.12
Special disposal service shall be offered for the collection and disposal of refuse too large in size or quantity to fit into an approved container, and for refuse that does not comply with the rules and regulations pertaining to refuse collection and disposal (except for the materials described in § 5-3.07 of this chapter), and for service requested at times different from the regular establis...
Recycling Requirements
Every occupied property in Madera must carry city refuse and recycling collection under Municipal Code Section 5-3.02, with rates set by City Council resolution. Section 5-3.16 puts the cost of recycling bags on the customer and requires separation of recyclables before pickup, backed by Chapter 3's misdemeanor penalty clause.
Madera Curbside Recycling Service Rules
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code §§ 5-3.02, 5-3.16
All occupied premises within the city shall have refuse and recycling collection services for the collection, removal, and disposal of refuse and recycling of recyclable materials produced upon the premises for which services a charge shall be collected. ... All blue bags to be used in connection with recycling services described herein are to be acquired and paid for by the recycling customer....
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Madera requires every single-family and commercial generator to subscribe to a three-container system and sort food and yard waste into the green container under Municipal Code Chapter 3A, adopted to comply with SB 1383. Mixing gray-container trash into the green or blue container is a violation carrying its own civil penalty schedule.
Madera Mandatory Organic Waste Separation
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code §§ 5-3A.04, 5-3A.15(E)
Organic waste generators shall subscribe to a three container collection service which includes a blue container, green container and gray container, and shall comply with the following requirements: ... Generators shall place source separated green container organic waste, including food waste, in the green container; source separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and gray contai...
Illegal Dumping
Madera bans throwing or depositing refuse on anyone else's property, streets, alleys, or public places outside authorized collection under Municipal Code Section 5-3.06. A violation of this Chapter 3 provision is a misdemeanor, not an infraction, carrying fines up to $1,000 for repeat offenders.
Madera Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code §§ 5-3.06, 5-3.09
No person shall throw or deposit any refuse upon the premises of any other person or upon any street, alley, or other public place in the city except at such times and places as may be authorized by the Council with respect to the collection and disposal of rubbish. ... In accordance with § 1-2.01 of the Madera Municipal Code, violation of this chapter is specifically declared to be a misdemean...
Yard Waste Collection
Every solid waste customer in Madera must sort green and yard waste from garbage before collection, under Madera Municipal Code § 5-3.25. The city runs separate green-waste and garbage pickups on a set schedule, and customers who opt out of the city's program must arrange their own recycling instead of dumping yard waste in the gray garbage container.
Madera Green Waste Sorting Mandate
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.25
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, it shall be mandatory for every solid waste collection customer in the city to participate in the program of sorting of green/yard waste from garbage prior to the pickup of garbage, facilitated by and through the city. There shall be separate collections for green/yard waste and for garbage, on a schedule to be determined by the city. ....
Dumpster Rules
Construction and demolition projects in Madera that generate eight cubic yards or more of debris must use C&D recycling bins or roll-off boxes to source-separate the material, under Madera Municipal Code § 5-3.30. The permittee, hauler, or recycler must file a monthly report proving at least half the debris was recycled.
Madera Construction Debris Roll-Off Rule
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.30, § 5-3.31
(A) Construction and demolition debris generated under a city issued building, renovation, or demolition permit and equal to or exceeding eight cubic yards of material by volume shall have necessary mixed and/or source separated C&D recycling bin(s) or roll-off boxes for the removal and recycling of all construction and demolition debris from the project site. The project permittee, designate...
Collection Schedule
Madera Municipal Code Section 5-3.08 puts the City Administrator in charge of setting collection days and container locations, with a floor of once-a-week service for every account. The Administrator and designees also have authority to enter premises during reasonable hours to check compliance with the collection scheme.
Madera Minimum Weekly Trash Collection
Some RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code § 5-3.08
It shall be the duty of the City Administrator or his/her designee to enforce the provisions of this chapter and control the storage, collection, and disposal of refuse in the city as provided by this chapter. The City Administrator is authorized and directed to prepare and publish regulations concerning the days of collection, location of waste containers, and other regulations reasonably nece...
Recycling Rules
Madera lets residents segregate recyclables from garbage and sell or give them to a private collector under Municipal Code Section 5-3.15, but once recyclables are set out at curbside for city collection, Section 5-3.18 makes it unlawful for anyone but the city and its authorized agents to take them.
Madera Recycling Segregation and Anti-Scavenging Rule
Significant RestrictionsMadera Municipal Code §§ 5-3.15, 5-3.18
Every producer of garbage, rubbish, and recyclable materials may segregate the same into garbage and rubbish and recyclable materials. When recyclable materials are so segregated, they may be given or sold to a collector of recyclable materials. ... Except for the city and or its authorized agents, it shall be unlawful for any other person to pick up, collect, take, appropriate or remove any re...
Looking for Madera County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Madera city rules.
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