Trash & Recycling in Sacramento, CA (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Sacramento, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Sacramento requires every residential and residential mixed-use property to subscribe to city garbage collection service, keep at least one 32-gallon automatic-lift container, and receive pickup no less than once a week. Crews collect only between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (8 p.m. during daylight saving time) in residential areas, and between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m. elsewhere.
Sacramento Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code §§ 13.10.210, 13.10.220, 13.10.110
13.10.210 A. All owners of residential property and residential mixed-use property in the city where garbage is created, generated, accumulated, or produced shall subscribe to garbage collection service provided by the city ... unless the solid waste manager determines that service is not feasible for a specific property. ... 13.10.220 A.1. Each dwelling unit, excluding an accessory dwelling un...
Bin Placement Rules
Sacramento requires garbage, recycling and organics carts to be grouped at the curb, kept clear of obstructions, and screened from public view except during a narrow collection window. Carts may sit out no more than 12 hours before and after the scheduled pickup day.
Trash Cart Placement Rules in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.10.100
A. Containers placed for collection service shall be placed: 1. Together in one location adjacent to the property where collection service is rendered; 2. Within two feet of the street curb or edge of road right-of-way... B. Containers shall be placed for collection service no earlier than twelve (12) hours prior to the scheduled collection day, and shall be removed from the public right-of-way...
Bulk Item Disposal
Sacramento requires multi-family residential properties to subscribe to a bulky-item removal service for tenants' furniture and household belongings under City Code § 13.24.520(A)(7), with pickup guaranteed at least once every twelve months; business properties carry a parallel duty under § 13.24.510(A)(2).
Sacramento Multi-Family Bulky Item Pickup
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.24.520
A. Each multi-family residential property must ensure and demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this chapter and must: ... 7. Subscribe to a service for removal of bulky waste such as tenants' furniture and household belongings, as needed, but at a minimum of once every twelve months.
Recycling Requirements
Sacramento City Code requires every owner of residential and residential mixed-use property to subscribe to the city's recycling collection service and to source-separate recyclables from trash. Recyclables become city property once set curbside, and mixing refuse or plastic bags into the recycling cart is an infraction.
Curbside Recycling Requirements in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.10.310
To meet the mandatory diversion requirements imposed by state law, and to protect and promote the health, safety, and welfare of city residents, all owners of residential property and residential mixed-use property in the city shall subscribe to the recycling collection service provided by the city in the manner and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 13.12.
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Sacramento sets minimum organics-recycling service levels by property type in City Code § 13.24.600(B), a 64-gallon can per 25 units for apartment buildings of five or more units, and per-employee or per-container minimums for offices, restaurants, and bars, implementing the state's SB 1383 organic-waste diversion mandate.
Sacramento Mandatory Organics Recycling Levels
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.24.600
B. Organics recycling volume requirement. Organics recycling services shall be provided and maintained at service levels that are sufficient for a specific property with the levels in the table below unless adjusted by the solid waste manager... 1. Multi-unit dwelling of 5 or more dwelling units: Minimum 64-gallon can per 25 dwelling units or equivalent. 2. Commercial: a. Office and general c...
Yard Waste Collection
Sacramento bars dumping yard waste in streets or gutters except through its seasonal loose-in-the-street collection program, which caps piles at two cubic yards per parcel and blocks placement more than seven days before the scheduled collection day. Food waste can never go in the street or be mixed into yard waste.
Sacramento Yard Waste Curbside Rules
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.10.430
13.10.430 Depositing organic waste in city streets. A. Yard waste. 1. No person may place, deposit, dump, or accumulate ... any yard waste on or in any street, public right-of-way or easement, gutter, curb, or sidewalk within the city, except where it is expressly authorized under this chapter. 2. Customers may place and deposit yard waste in the streets for collection service in connection wit...
Dumpster Rules
Sacramento requires a screened trash and recycling enclosure for any multi-unit building with five or more units, and for commercial, office, or public projects whose garbage receptacles aren't stored inside the building, under Sacramento City Code § 17.616.040. The enclosure needs 6-foot masonry walls, heavy-gauge metal gates with cane bolts, and can't sit in a required parking space.
Sacramento Commercial Dumpster Enclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 17.616.040
17.616.040(A)(1): "Recycling and trash enclosures with recycling and garbage receptacles shall be required for: a. Multi-unit dwellings with five or more units; b. Any commercial, office, or public or quasi-public project where garbage receptacles are being used and the receptacles are not stored wholly within the building." (B)(1)-(2): "Walls. The walls of each recycling and trash enclosure sh...
Collection Schedule
Sacramento requires every residential property owner to subscribe to city garbage collection at least once a week, sets exact carts-out and pickup-hour windows, and fines residents whose containers sit at the curb outside those windows.
Garbage Collection Rules and Hours in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code §§ 13.10.210, 13.10.220
All owners of residential property and residential mixed-use property in the city where garbage is created, generated, accumulated, or produced shall subscribe to garbage collection service provided by the city in the manner and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 13.12, unless the solid waste manager determines that service is not feasible for a specific property. ......
Recycling Rules
Sacramento requires every business, non-residential property, and multi-family residential property to source separate recyclables and organic material from trash and subscribe to franchised hauler service under City Code § 13.24.510 and § 13.24.520. Recycling pickup must run at least monthly, containers must be color-coded, and the Solid Waste Manager enforces compliance citywide.
Sacramento Business & Multi-Family Recycling
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 13.24.510
A. Each business or non-residential property must ensure and demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this chapter and must: ... 3. Source separate recyclable materials from solid waste and subscribe to the minimum level of recycling collection service as required in this chapter, which at a minimum must be on a monthly basis; ... F. Each business and non-residential property must ...
Looking for Sacramento County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sacramento city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Sacramento County →