Trash & Recycling in Temecula, CA (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Temecula, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Temecula caps residential and commercial refuse pickup to Monday through Saturday, six a.m. to five p.m., with commercial routes allowed to start at five a.m. Weekly service is mandatory for homes, twice-weekly for food establishments, under Municipal Code Section 8.20.430.
Temecula Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code § 8.20.430 (Frequency of removal)
Persons in charge of the day-to-day operation of properties, other than commercial food preparation establishments, shall make arrangements to have removed, not less frequently than once a week, from the property upon which the residence or residences are located, all refuse on the premises... Collection shall be made only between the hours of six a.m. and five p.m. of any day, Monday through S...
Bin Placement Rules
Temecula residents may not set a trash cart at the curb more than 24 hours before pickup and must pull it back within 12 hours after the truck comes. Carts must be at the curb by six a.m. on the designated pickup day under Municipal Code Section 8.20.410.
Temecula Trash Bin Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code § 8.20.410 (Use)
No container shall be placed adjacent to a street or public right-of-way for collection service more than twenty-four hours prior to the normal collection time... Containers shall be removed from the street or right-of-way location within twelve hours after collection... Dead animals and bulky waste shall not be set out for collection. Bulky waste shall be collected only during annual cleanups ...
Bulk Item Disposal
Old furniture, appliances, and other bulky waste cannot go out with the regular cart or be set curbside in Temecula without prior approval and arrangement with the collector. Section 8.20.470 requires setting up bulky pickup through the city's annual cleanup event or a direct contractor arrangement.
Temecula Bulky Item Pickup Rules
Significant RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code §§ 8.20.470, 8.20.410(E) (Bulky waste)
No person shall place bulky waste adjacent to a street or public right-of-way for collection or removal purposes without prior approval and arrangements with the collector. ... Dead animals and bulky waste shall not be set out for collection. Bulky waste shall be collected only during annual cleanups or by contractual arrangement between the resident or business and the contractor.
Recycling Requirements
California SB 1383 requires all Temecula residents and businesses to separate organic waste (food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings) into the green cart as of January 1, 2022. The state goal is 75% reduction of organic waste sent to landfills by 2025. Mandatory commercial recycling (AB 341) and organics (AB 1826) also apply to multi-family and businesses. Contamination can result in service penalties.
Temecula Recycling. SB 1383 Organics
Light RestrictionsCalifornia SB 1383 — Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy
California's Organic Waste Reduction SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy Landfilled food and other organic waste rotting in landfills emits methane climate pollution contributing to California's hotter summers, more frequent droughts, and more wildfires. Feed People and Fight Climate Change Fight Climate Change by Recycling Organic Waste To reduce methane pollution and othe...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping solid waste on any Temecula property without a conditional use permit is unlawful under Municipal Code Section 8.20.690. The planning director and code enforcement officers enforce it alongside multiple state Penal Code and Vehicle Code sections targeting illegal dumping.
Temecula Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code § 8.20.690 (Unlawful dumping)
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or dump solid waste of any kind whatsoever upon any property, within the city, or to cause, suffer or permit such solid waste to be placed, deposited or dumped upon any property, in the city, without first having obtained a conditional use permit pursuant to the zoning laws of the city, as now or hereinafter amended, or pursuant to any other...
Yard Waste Collection
Tree trimmings and brush set out for collection in Temecula must be cut to four-foot lengths and tied into bundles no more than 24 inches in diameter under Section 8.20.410(F). The city also runs an uncontainerized pile-or-bag service for loose green waste and yard waste.
Temecula Yard Waste Bundling Rules
Some RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code §§ 8.20.410(F), 8.20.010 (Use; Definitions)
Tree trimmings and brush shall be cut into four-foot lengths and tied bundles of not larger than twenty-four inches in diameter for ease in pickup. ... "Uncontainerized green waste and yard waste collection service" or "uncontainerized service" means a collection service that collects green waste and yard waste that is placed in a pile or bagged for collection on the street in front of a genera...
Dumpster Rules
Every Temecula property owner or operator must keep a container large enough to hold everything produced between pickups in a spot the collector can reach without spilling, and commercial bins must stay accessible to the hauler during the collection window under Sections 8.20.400 and 8.20.440.
Temecula Commercial Dumpster Placement
Some RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code §§ 8.20.400, 8.20.440 (Location; Containers located where)
It is the duty of every person designated under Section 8.20.320 in possession, charge or control of any place within the city, in or from which refuse accumulates or is produced, to keep in a suitable place readily accessible to the collector, containers capable of holding without spilling all refuse which would ordinarily accumulate on the premises between the time of two successive collectio...
Collection Schedule
Every property owner or occupant in Temecula must arrange refuse, recyclables, and compostables collection through the city, an approved local agency, or a franchised contractor. Collecting solid waste without city authorization is itself unlawful under Sections 8.20.320 and 8.20.330.
Temecula Mandatory Trash Service Rules
Some RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code §§ 8.20.320-8.20.330 (Collection arrangements required; Prohibitions)
The owner, occupant or other person responsible for the day-to-day operation of every property in the city shall make arrangements with the city, another local agency approved by the city or a contractor franchised or licensed by the city for the collection of refuse, recyclable materials and compostable materials as set forth in this chapter. ... No person shall engage in the collection of sol...
Recycling Rules
Once you set recyclables at the curb for collection, they belong to the city's authorized recycling contractor. Removing them yourself or letting anyone else take them in the 24 hours before pickup is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code Section 8.20.650.
Temecula Recycling Collection Rules
Significant RestrictionsTemecula Municipal Code §§ 8.20.640-8.20.650 (Ownership of recyclable waste material; Unauthorized collection prohibited)
Upon placement of recyclable waste material at a designated recycling collection location for collection by an authorized recycling contractor, the recyclable waste material shall become the property of the authorized recycling contractor. ... During the twenty-four-hour period commencing at six p.m. on any day preceding a day designated for collection of recyclable waste material, no person, o...
Looking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Temecula city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Riverside County →