Trash & Recycling in San Clemente, CA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for San Clemente, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
San Clemente bans solid waste collection in residential zones between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and in commercial or other zones between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Containers can go to the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup and must be pulled back within 24 hours after collection.
San Clemente Trash Pickup Hour Limits
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.28.060
It shall be unlawful to provide solid waste handling services in areas of the City zoned for residential use between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. It shall be unlawful to provide solid waste handling services in areas of the City zoned for other than residential use between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Bin Placement Rules
San Clemente requires trash, recycling and organics carts to sit at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection under Section 8.28.040. Within 24 hours after pickup, every customer must move containers back and store them out of public view behind a wall, fence or similar screen at least as tall as the container.
San Clemente Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 8.28.040
Customers shall place containers and all bulky items for which a scheduled collection has been arranged adjacent to the curb along the street in front of their premises or, if no curb exists, either adjacent to the main traveled portion of the street fronting their premises or in the alley in the rear of the property. ... All containers used by and/or for a customer and all bulky items placed i...
Bulk Item Disposal
Bulky items like furniture and appliances don't have to go in a container under San Clemente's code, but Section 8.28.021 bans leaving them on a street, alley, sidewalk or visible part of a property except for a scheduled collection placed out under Section 8.28.040's timing rules.
San Clemente Bulky Item Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 8.28.021
Notwithstanding Section 8.28.020 B., bulky items need not be kept, stored, or placed for collection in containers. ... In addition to the foregoing, it shall be unlawful for any owner, tenant, or occupant of property within the City to allow any bulky items to be placed, deposited, abandoned, dumped, or maintained on any public or private street, alley, sidewalk, or right-of-way adjacent to sai...
Recycling Requirements
San Clemente requires every single-family home to subscribe to the city's three-container collection service, sorting organic waste, recyclables and refuse into separate carts under Municipal Code Chapter 8.28. The rule implements the state's SB 1383 organics mandate through the city's own franchise system.
San Clemente Curbside Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 8.28.130
A Single family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements:1.Subscribe to the City's three-container collection services. The City shall have the right to review the number and size of a generator's containers to evaluate adequacy of capacity provided for each type of collection service for proper source separation and containment of materials; and single-family gener...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Under the state's SB 1383 program, every single-family household in San Clemente must subscribe to the City's three-container collection service and keep food scraps and other organic waste separated in the organic waste cart, never mixed with recycling or refuse. Households may instead reduce waste through backyard or community composting.
San Clemente Mandatory Organics Recycling Law
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.28.130(A)
A ... Single family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements:1.Subscribe to the City's three-container collection services. The City shall have the right to review the number and size of a generator's containers to evaluate adequacy of capacity provided for each type of collection service for proper source separation and containment of materials; and single-family g...
Illegal Dumping
It's unlawful to throw or deposit litter on any private property in San Clemente, occupied or vacant, under Sections 8.40.190, 8.40.200 and 8.40.210. Property owners must keep their land free of litter at all times, and dumping on an open or vacant lot is prohibited regardless of who owns it.
San Clemente Illegal Dumping on Vacant Lots
Heavy RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code §§ 8.40.190, 8.40.200, 8.40.210
No person shall throw or deposit litter on any occupied private property within the City, whether owned by such person or not, except that the owner or person in control of private property may maintain authorized private receptacles for collection in such a manner that litter will be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk or other public place or up...
Yard Waste Collection
San Clemente residents dispose of yard clippings, prunings, and brush through the City's organic waste cart under the mandatory three-container system, but a homeowner's own gardener or landscaper may also haul yard waste away as part of a service call without a separate hauling permit, so long as it goes somewhere legal.
San Clemente Yard Waste Collection Rules
Light RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.28.051(C)
No person other than the City or the Franchise Hauler shall place or collect a ... container on any property or street within the City for the purpose of providing solid waste handling services, except as follows: ... C ... The collection, transportation, or disposal of yard waste by a gardener, or landscaper, as part of the gardening or landscaping services provided to its customers, provided ...
Dumpster Rules
San Clemente requires every dumpster serving a commercial or multi-parcel use to sit inside a solid enclosure at least 9 feet wide and 6 feet deep, screened on three sides by a 5-foot concrete block wall and closed on the fourth by a steel gate, under Municipal Code Section 17.24.050(B).
San Clemente Trash Enclosure Standards
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 17.24.050(B)
B.Trash Enclosures. . ... .Trash enclosures which enclose dumpsters shall be of sufficient size to accommodate the trash and recyclable materials generated by the uses on the parcel(s) being served. All outdoor storage of trash, garbage, refuse, and other items or material intended for discarding or collection shall be screened from public view on at least three sides by a solid wall, construct...
Collection Schedule
San Clemente requires every property owner to have solid waste collected through the City or its exclusive Franchise Hauler under Section 8.28.050, and Section 8.28.060 bans collection service in residential zones between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and in non-residential zones between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
San Clemente Trash Collection Hour Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code §§ 8.28.050(A), 8.28.060
A The owner, occupant, or person in control of every premises in the City shall cause solid waste generated or accumulated on such premises to be collected and lawfully disposed by the City or the Franchise Hauler or by his or her own efforts. ... It shall be unlawful to provide solid waste handling services in areas of the City zoned for residential use between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a...
Recycling Rules
San Clemente requires every customer to place trash, recyclables, and organic waste only in City- or Franchise Hauler-supplied containers, and bars overfilling any cart so the lid can't fully close. Dumping outside an approved container onto any public street, beach, park, or private property is a separate violation.
San Clemente Solid Waste Container Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.28.020
8.28.020 - Required Use of Containers-Overflows Prohibited. ... C.Overflows Prohibited. . .No customer shall cause or permit any container to be overfilled. For purposes of this section, "overfilled" shall mean filled or loaded in such a manner so as to prohibit the lid of the container from closing completely. Every customer shall be responsible for placing solid waste, including recyclable ma...
Looking for Orange County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Clemente city rules.
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