Trash & Recycling in San Rafael, CA (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for San Rafael, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
San Rafael caps how long a trash, recycling, or organics cart can sit at the curb: only during a 48-hour window bracketing pickup day, and never blocking a sidewalk or street gutter.
San Rafael Trash Cart Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 9.19.130
shall be placed or kept in or on any public street, sidewalk, footpath, or any public place whatsoever, or remain in public view from any public right-of-way except as herein provided, but shall be maintained on the premises, except as may be provided for removing and emptying by the authorized collector on the day(s) and in the location designated for collection. No person shall place a collec...
Bulk Item Disposal
San Rafael routes oversize items like furniture and appliances to debris box service since they're too large for normal cart collection, and lets outside companies provide that service.
San Rafael Bulky Item Disposal Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code §§ 9.19.030 and 9.19.280
"Bulky waste" means large items of solid waste such as appliances (white goods), e-waste... furniture, tires, carpets, mattresses... large auto parts, trees, branches, stumps, and other oversize wastes whose large size precludes or complicates their handling by normal collection... The award of a contract hereunder shall grant the authorized collector... the exclusive right to collect, transpor...
Recycling Requirements
San Rafael requires every generator to source-separate recyclables into a recycling container and keep them out of the garbage container, under Chapter 9.19.
San Rafael Mandatory Recycling Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 9.19.070(D)
Generators shall place source separated organic materials, including food waste, in the organics container; place source separated recyclable materials in the recycling container; and place garbage in the garbage container. The city and authorized collector shall have the right to promulgate changes to material types acceptable for each type of collection container. Generators shall not place p...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping, burying, or abandoning solid waste on private property, streets, parks, or waterways in San Rafael is banned outright, punishable by escalating fines up to $500 and misdemeanor charges for repeat offenses.
San Rafael Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 9.19.050
Except as authorized in this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to: 1.Throw, bury, deposit, or cause to be thrown or deposited, any solid waste, or allow any collection of same to remain in or upon any private property, public right-of-way, alley, sidewalk, park, watercourse, waterway, levees or banks of watercourses or waterways, or upon any premises whatsoever other than a CalRecycle appr...
Yard Waste Collection
San Rafael requires landscape and pruning waste to go in the green organics cart, not the garbage cart, under Municipal Code Chapter 9.19. Every dwelling unit must carry at least one 32-gallon organics cart, and dumping yard waste elsewhere is a separate misdemeanor or infraction.
San Rafael Yard Waste Organics Cart Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 9.19.030
"Organics container" has the same meaning as "green container" in 14 CCR Section 18982(a)(29) and shall be used for the purpose of storage and collection of source separated organic materials designated for organic materials processing, including food waste and landscape and pruning waste accepted in the city's organic waste collection program, and other organic materials as determined by the c...
Dumpster Rules
San Rafael limits outdoor storage containers and debris boxes: they're barred from residential zoning districts except for a temporary stay of up to 90 days, and outdoor storage on commercial or industrial sites must be screened from public view.
San Rafael Dumpster and Debris Box Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 14.17.120
An "outdoor storage" land use is not permitted within a residential district. Temporary placement of moving or storage containers or debris boxes on a residential property, within a driveway or required yard area, may be allowed for a limited duration, generally not to exceed ninety (90) days, or as otherwise provided under the terms of a building permit issued for the site.
Collection Schedule
San Rafael requires solid waste pickup at least once a week for every home and business, with the day set by the city's authorized collector and approved by the city.
San Rafael Weekly Trash Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 9.19.170
All solid waste accumulated at any residential generator or commercial generator's property or premises shall be collected at regular intervals of at least once each week, except that from any place which has solid waste from which foul odors arise, or which is a menace to public health, such solid waste shall be collected at such intervals as necessary for proper sanitation. Nothing in this ch...
Looking for Marin County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Rafael city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Marin County →