Trash & Recycling in Riverside, CA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Riverside, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Riverside's Public Works Department requires every hauler serving residential property to collect solid waste at least once a week, prohibits Sunday collection except for city-approved emergencies, and bars residential routes from starting before 5:30 a.m. under RMC § 6.04.070.
Riverside Trash Collection Days & Hours
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.070
A.Solid waste collection from residential properties shall be provided by all haulers a minimum of once a week.B.Solid waste will not be collected on Sundays except in emergencies and as approved by the Public Works Director.C.Solid waste collection within or in close proximity to residential areas shall not commence prior to 5:30 a.m. on any day.
Bin Placement Rules
Every Riverside property that generates solid waste must keep enough standard automated or manual containers on site, and RMC § 6.04.020 makes it unlawful to use a cart with ragged edges or other damage: the city can suspend service or replace and bill a container not fixed within five days of notice.
Riverside Trash Container Maintenance Rules
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.020(A), (B)
A.Every owner, tenant, lessee or occupant of any premises where solid waste is generated shall keep upon the premises sufficient standard automated containers for receiving and holding all solid waste generated between the times of removal....All solid waste on the premises shall be kept in said containers.B.Solid waste containers shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. It is unl...
Bulk Item Disposal
Riverside residents can request bulky-item pickup for large appliances, furniture and mattresses, but items must be curbside no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled service, and the hauler can refuse anything exceeding posted limits, per RMC § 6.04.040(C).
Riverside Bulky Item Special Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.040(C)
C.The Public Works Director may designate materials eligible for special pickup as bulky items and the time, frequency, and volume of bulky item collection service. Acceptable materials shall be placed at the curb immediately adjacent to the serviced property no earlier than 4:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled bulky item service. City or Contractor's may refuse collection if items exceed ...
Recycling Requirements
Municipal Code Section 6.06.040(A) requires every AB 341 business and multifamily covered generator in Riverside to subscribe to combined solid waste and recyclable materials collection from the same City-franchised hauler, unless the Public Works Director grants an exemption or waiver.
Riverside Covered Generators Must Subscribe To Recycling
Significant RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.06.040(A)
A.Recycling requirements. All AB 341 business and multifamily residential property covered generators must subscribe to and receive solid waste and recyclable materials collection services from the same franchised waste hauler unless they apply for and receive an exemption or waiver from the City as provided for in this chapter.
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Riverside Municipal Code Section 6.06.040 requires business and multifamily covered generators to subscribe to organics recycling alongside solid waste and recycling service from the same franchised hauler. The mandate implements state laws AB 1826 and SB 1383, covering commercial food-scrap generators and qualifying multifamily properties, unless the City grants an exemption or waiver.
Riverside Mandates Business Organics Recycling
Significant RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.06.040(B)-(C)
B.Business organics recycling requirements. All AB 1826 and/or SB 1383 business covered generators must subscribe to and receive solid waste, and organics recycling services from the same franchised waste hauler unless they apply for and receive an exemption or waiver from the City as provided for in this chapter.C.Multifamily residential property organics recycling requirements. All AB 1826 an...
Illegal Dumping
It's unlawful to throw, drop, dump, bury, or burn garbage, refuse, or solid waste on any lot, street, alley or waterway in Riverside, burial is banned outright on any lot in the city, under RMC § 6.04.080, with cleanup costs recoverable from violators.
Riverside Illegal Dumping Ban & Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.080(A), (B)
A.No person shall throw, drop, leave, dump, bury, burn, place, keep, accumulate or otherwise dispose of any waste matter, including, but not limited to, garbage, hazardous waste, refuse, recyclable materials, rubbish, or solid waste as defined in Section 6.04.010 upon any lot, land, street, alley, water or waterway, either with or without intent to later remove same. Any person in violation of ...
Yard Waste Collection
Riverside's code defines exactly what counts as 'green materials' that must go in the organics cart, yard trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches and brush, and states in the definition itself that it must be separated from trash before disposal, under RMC § 6.04.010.
Riverside Green Waste & Yard Trimmings Rules
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.010 (Designated green materials)
Designated green materials (or "green materials" or "green waste") means materials that are required to be separated from solid waste and designated recyclable materials prior to disposal and returned for use or reuse in the form of raw materials for new, used or reconstituted products. Green materials include, but are not limited to: yard trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches, de...
Dumpster Rules
Riverside requires centralized, enclosed trash and recycling collection areas for nearly every development project, screened on three sides by a six-foot decorative masonry wall and closed with a latchable gate, under RMC § 19.554.020. Detached single-family homes and small multifamily projects of three units or fewer are exempt.
Riverside Trash Enclosure Design Rules
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 19.554.020
Centralized trash/recyclable materials collection areas shall be provided for all development projects, with the exception of detached and attached single-family subdivisions and planned communities and any multi-family development containing three or fewer units....The collection area shall be enclosed on three sides by a minimum six-foot-tall decorative masonry wall. The wall materials used s...
Collection Schedule
Every Riverside home must subscribe to city or contractor trash collection, or hold a self-hauler permit, and only city-authorized haulers may collect solid waste in the city at all, with residential service guaranteed at least once a week under RMC § 6.04.050.
Riverside Mandatory Trash Collection Service
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.050(A), (C), (D)
A.No person, persons, firm or corporation other than one of the City authorized solid waste haulers acting pursuant to their contract with the City, municipal solid waste collection crews or a person or firm acting under the authority and within the limitation of a valid self-hauler permit issued pursuant to this chapter, shall collect solid waste, recyclable or organic recyclable materials wit...
Recycling Rules
Every property in Riverside must keep separate containers for solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic recyclable materials under Municipal Code Section 6.04.020(C). Automated-service properties get one container of each type standard, manual-service properties up to three, and mixing waste into a recycling bin can trigger contamination fees.
Riverside Requires Separate Recycling Containers
Some RestrictionsRiverside Municipal Code § 6.04.020(C)
C.Each property shall have separate containers for the collection of solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic recyclable materials. Properties serviced by automated service shall have no more than one standard automated container each for solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic recyclable materials, except where the customer has made arrangements with the City or Contractor for an ...
Looking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Riverside city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Riverside County →