Trash & Recycling in Sonoma, CA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Sonoma, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
The City of Sonoma will not let trash pile up between pickups: Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.150 requires businesses to have solid waste removed at least once each calendar week, and caps how long anyone can let waste accumulate before it becomes a violation, one week for combustible material and two weeks for noncombustible material.
City of Sonoma Waste Accumulation Limits
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.150
Every person occupying or having charge or control of any place of business where there is any accumulation of solid waste or source separated materials shall cause the same to be removed therefrom or be managed in a lawful manner as often as reasonably necessary and at least once each calendar week. Every person occupying or having charge or control of other than a place of business where ther...
Bin Placement Rules
The City of Sonoma tells residents exactly when carts can sit at the curb: no earlier than the day before pickup, and removed by midnight on collection day. Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.060 requires carts to otherwise be screened from view of the public right-of-way, with an exception only for people physically unable to move their own containers.
City of Sonoma Garbage Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.060
Except in the case of persons physically unable to do so, each receptacle or container, except bins and debris boxes, for collection of solid waste and source separated materials including recyclable materials and organic waste by the city solid waste collector must be placed and maintained at the curb or edge of roadway in a location readily accessible for collection by the city solid waste co...
Bulk Item Disposal
Bulky items, discarded appliances and furniture cannot go out with the City of Sonoma's regular cart pickup. Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.111 keeps them out of regular collection, and § 7.08.080 lets a resident or business request a special collection from the franchised hauler for a reasonable fee the collector itself sets.
City of Sonoma Bulky Item Special Collection
Light RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.080
In addition to the rates for collection of solid waste and source separated materials provided by resolution of the city council, the solid waste collector, when requested by the owner, tenant, or occupant of any residential or business premises to make a special collection of any solid waste or source separated materials in addition to the collection provided by this chapter, shall be entitled...
Recycling Requirements
Recycling in the City of Sonoma runs through one franchised hauler under Chapter 7.08 of the municipal code, and Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.113 requires recyclables and organic waste to go into separate approved containers rather than the gray trash cart. Anyone who scavenges, dumps, or removes solid waste on city streets outside that franchised system violates the exclusivity rule set by § 7.08.010.
City of Sonoma Recycling Program Requirements
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.113
Recycling and organic waste shall be placed in separate containers approved for that purpose in accordance with Chapter 7.10 SMC.
Mandatory Organics Recycling
The City of Sonoma requires every single-family household to subscribe to the city's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and food-soiled paper into the green cart, recyclables into the blue cart, and everything else into the gray cart. Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.10.030 implements the state SB 1383 organics mandate; skipping the sorting rules can bring a notice of violation and fines under Chapter 1.12.
City of Sonoma Mandatory Organics Recycling
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.10.030
Single-family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements except single-family generators that meet the self-hauler requirements in SMC 7.10.090: A. Subscribe to the city’s organic waste collection services for all organic waste generated as described below in subsection (B) of this section. ... ... B. Participate in the city’s organic waste collection service(s) by pl...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping trash, garbage or debris anywhere in a City of Sonoma park or recreation area outside the receptacles provided is unlawful under Sonoma Municipal Code § 9.12.120, and a conviction is a misdemeanor under § 9.12.290 with fines set by the California Penal Code.
City of Sonoma Illegal Dumping in Parks
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 9.12.120
It is unlawful for any person to dump, deposit, or leave any bottles, broken glass, ashes, paper, boxes, cans, dirt, rubbish, waste, garbage or refuse, or other trash, except in the receptacle provided therefor.
Yard Waste Collection
The City of Sonoma requires every household and business to keep yard trimmings and other organic waste out of the trash and recycling. Under Chapter 7.10 of the Sonoma Municipal Code, single-family generators must subscribe to city organic waste collection and place landscape and pruning waste, food scraps and food-soiled paper in the green container only.
City of Sonoma Yard Waste & Organics Rules
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code §§ 7.10.020(KK), 7.10.030(A), 7.10.030(C)
“Organic waste” means solid wastes containing material originated from living organisms and their metabolic waste products, including but not limited to food, green material, landscape and pruning waste, organic textiles and carpets, lumber, wood, paper products, printing and writing paper, manure, biosolids, digestate, and sludges or as otherwise defined in 14 CCR Section 18982(a)(46). ... Sin...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Sonoma, multifamily residential projects must keep trash, yard-waste, compost and recycling bins, carts and dumpsters inside covered refuse enclosures with an opaque gate. Enclosures cannot sit in front, side or rear setbacks, must stay at least 20 feet from adjacent residences, and are barred from sidewalks and the public right-of-way.
City of Sonoma Multifamily Refuse Enclosures
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 19.43.020(A)(11)-(12)
11. Refuse. a. Enclosure Requirement. i. Bins, carts, and dumpsters for trash, yard waste, compost, and recycling shall be contained in covered refuse enclosures with an opaque gate. Developments with three or fewer units may be excluded from this requirement if the receptacles are kept in a lighted area separate from parking and pedestrian areas. ii ... ... i. Refuse containers are prohibited ...
Collection Schedule
The City of Sonoma does not fix pickup days in the municipal code itself. Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.070 instead has the city council set collection frequency and maximum rates by resolution, while the city's exclusive franchised collector sets the actual scheduled days and times for each location, subject to the city's approval.
City of Sonoma Trash Collection Schedule Rules
Some RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.08.070
The city council shall fix by resolution the frequency at which the collector shall accomplish collection and the maximum rates which the collector may charge for the various services. The regularly scheduled days and times for collection at various locations in the city shall be determined by the collector subject to approval by the city.
Recycling Rules
Once a City of Sonoma resident sets recyclables at the curb, they legally belong to the city's authorized recycling contractor, and Sonoma Municipal Code § 7.12.032 makes it unlawful for anyone else to take them. The Anti-Scavenger Ordinance, Chapter 7.12, also bars scattering, destroying or scavenging curbside recyclables without the resident's or contractor's consent.
City of Sonoma Anti-Scavenging Recycling Law
Heavy RestrictionsSonoma Municipal Code § 7.12.032
No person other than an authorized recycling contractor shall remove recyclable material which has been placed at the curbside. Any and each violation hereof from one or more recycling collection locations shall constitute a separate and distinct offense punishable as provided in this chapter.
Looking for Sonoma County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sonoma city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Sonoma County →