Trash & Recycling in Ventura, CA (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Ventura, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In Ventura, carts can go to the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled pickup and must come back in by 8:00 p.m. the day they're emptied, under Municipal Code § 6.500.150(C). No one but the generator, the franchisee, or a city permittee may touch someone else's container or its contents.
Ventura Curbside Trash Cart Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 6.500.150(C), (E)
C. Occupants shall not place containers at the curb for collection by a franchisee at any time other than the days established by the franchisee for the collection of such solid waste, including black container waste, food waste, green waste, or recyclable materials on the particular route involved or earlier than 4:00 p.m. of the day preceding the day designated for collection. All containers ...
Bin Placement Rules
Ventura residents must place carts in the parkway strip if one exists, otherwise at the curb, sidewalk, or in a paved alley, under Municipal Code § 6.500.150(A). Between pickups, § 6.500.160 bars leaving a container on public property or storing it anywhere in a residential area where it is visible from a public street.
Ventura Residential Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 6.500.150(A), 6.500.160
A. Separate containers for the purpose of reception and removal of solid waste, including black container waste, food waste, green waste, and recyclable materials, shall be placed by the occupant in the parkway portion of the street, if available, otherwise on the curb or sidewalk along the street in front or to the rear of each residential dwelling or place of business in the city. Where paved...
Recycling Requirements
California's Mandatory Commercial Recycling Act (AB 341, PRC §42649) and the Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling Act (SB 1383, PRC §42652.5) require every resident and business to separate recyclables into the blue cart. SBMC Ch. 6.500 Article 5 (Organic Waste Recycling) and §6.500.540 (Requirements for commercial businesses) implement these state mandates locally. Commercial businesses generating ≥4 cubic yards/week of solid waste must subscribe to recycling service.
Mandatory Three-Cart Recycling (Blue Cart). SB 1383 + Ch. 6.500 Article 5
Some RestrictionsCalRecycle — SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy (Organic Waste Recycling)
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. To reduce methane pollution and other short-lived climate pollutants, California passed SB 1383 (Lara, 2016). The law se...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Every single-family generator in the City of Ventura must subscribe to city trash service and sort waste into the blue recycling, green organics and black trash carts under Municipal Code § 6.500.530, the city's implementation of the state's SB 1383 organics mandate. Contaminating a cart or skipping the sort brings escalating fines: $75, then $150, then $250 per violation.
Ventura Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 6.500.530, § 6.500.5110(E)
Single-family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements: A. Shall subscribe to city’s solid waste collection services for all solid waste generated as described below in subsection B of this section. ... B. ... Shall participate in the city’s organic waste collection service(s) by placing designated materials in a three- or four-container collection service (blue con...
Illegal Dumping
Ventura Municipal Code Section 8.250.020 makes it unlawful to dump solid waste, waste matter, rocks or dirt on any public or private road, right-of-way, park or private property without the owner's consent. Community Development's Code Enforcement Division, the Ventura Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works enforce the ban, and violators face misdemeanor prosecution plus city cleanup billing.
Illegal Dumping Rules in Ventura
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 8.250.020
It is unlawful to throw, dump or cause to be dumped any solid waste or waste matter in or upon any public or private highway or road, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, or in or upon any private property into or upon which the public is admitted by easement or license, or upon any private property without the consent of the owner, or in a container, as described in this chapter,...
Yard Waste Collection
Ventura's code defines green waste as tree trimmings, grass, leaves, and branches, and requires oversized yard debris too big for a cart to be bundled: tied bundles no more than 18 inches across, five feet long and 75 pounds, left beside the container. Hire a landscaper to haul it away instead, and no city permit is needed.
Ventura Yard Waste and Green Waste Rules
Light RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 6.500.120, 6.500.150(F), 6.500.230(A)
“Green waste” means tree trimmings, grass cuttings, dead plants, leaves, branches, dead trees, and other miscellaneous organic material generated at residential and commercial premises. ... F. ... If solid waste, either from residential premises or from commercial businesses, is too large to be placed in a container but is to be collected by a franchisee, it shall be carefully placed beside the...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial dumpsters supplied by Ventura's waste franchisee must be leak-proof, lidded where applicable, built entirely of noncombustible material, and sited inside a designed enclosure under Municipal Code § 6.500.140(C). Businesses also can't overfill a container so its contents blow or spill out, per § 6.500.140(D).
Ventura Commercial Dumpster Standards
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 6.500.140(C)-(D), 6.500.410(B)
C. Commercial containers provided by the franchisee shall be: 1. Leak proof, and provided with a lid, where applicable. 2. Constructed entirely of noncombustible materials. 3. Located within enclosures designed for this purpose. D. No occupant shall so fill any container with solid waste, black container waste, green waste, or recyclable materials above the top of the container to such an exten...
Collection Schedule
Residential and commercial waste in the City of Ventura must be removed from a property at least once a week under Municipal Code § 6.500.130(B), and the county health department can require more frequent pickup. Trucks may only run between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, under § 6.500.420, meaning no Sunday collection.
Ventura Trash Collection Days and Hours
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 6.500.130(B), 6.500.420
B. In accordance with, and as provided in further detail in Article 5 of this chapter, commencing with Section 6.500.510, all solid waste created, produced or accumulated in or about residential premises in the city, including single-family dwellings, shall be removed from the premises and disposed of at least once each week, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.500.550(C). All solid waste...
Recycling Rules
In the City of Ventura, no one may collect or process recyclable materials commercially unless they hold a city franchise agreement or a one-year permit issued by the director of public works under Municipal Code § 6.500.310. Nonprofits, franchise holders and businesses delivering their own recyclables are exempt under § 6.500.320.
Ventura's Recycling Collection Permits
Significant RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 6.500.310
A. The city council pursuant to Section 40059 of the California Public Resources Code does hereby determine that collection and processing of recyclable materials may be provided within the city through issuance of permits, in accordance with the terms of this article. ... C. ... No person may collect or process recyclable materials within the city unless the person has either entered into a fr...
Looking for Ventura County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ventura city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Ventura County →