Trash & Recycling in Butte County, CA (2026)
9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Butte County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
If a licensed hauler misses your scheduled collection, Code section 31-35(C)(13)-(14) gives you a free special pickup within twenty-four hours of reporting it, but the hauler can bill a return-trip fee if your cart simply wasn't out on time. Haulers may also refuse cans that top fifty-five pounds or waste left outside a container, tagging the reason on a non-collection notice.
Butte County Missed-Pickup and Refusal Rules
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-35(C)(13)(c)(3), (C)(14)(a)-(b)
(3)Missed Collection. The licensed hauler will provide a special pickup or other corrective action acceptable to a customer within twenty-four (24) hours (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays accepted) of oral or written notice to the licensed hauler of a missed scheduled collection at no charge to the customer. Licensee shall be allowed to charge a return trip fee if the licensee documents that the...
Bin Placement Rules
Butte County Code section 31-50.1 bans setting a trash, recycling or organics cart where it blocks a street, sidewalk or driveway. Carts along a service road must sit within five feet of it, can go out no more than twelve hours before your regular pickup day, and must come back off the curb within twenty-four hours after the truck empties them.
Butte County Curbside Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-50.1
No person shall place a container in a position that will obstruct public streets, public sidewalks, or any public or private driveway. Containers shall not be set out for collection within five (5) feet of service roads or along non-service roads more than twelve (12) hours in advance of the scheduled day of regular collection and shall not be permitted to remain in the collection location mor...
Recycling Requirements
Butte County Code section 31-35(A) makes every licensed hauler divert at least twenty-five percent of the solid waste it collects annually from landfill disposal, with the Board of Supervisors free to raise that floor or set different targets through individual franchise agreements. Haulers back the number up with an annual compliance certification and quarterly recycling reports to the county.
Butte County 25% Waste Diversion Requirement
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-35(A)-(B)
A.Licensee shall implement programs to divert from disposal a minimum of twenty-five (25) percent of the solid waste it collects annually. The licensed hauler shall submit an annual compliance report certifying that it has met the minimum diversion requirement programs and the amount and type of solid waste that the licensed hauler diverted from disposal in that prior year. The Board may review...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Under Code section 31-81, homes and businesses in Butte County's mandatory service area or a recycling zone are automatically enrolled in the licensed hauler's three-container system for trash, recyclables and organic waste unless they win a written self-haul waiver from the county. Food waste and other organics must go in the organics container, never the trash cart.
Butte County Mandatory Organic Waste Sorting
Significant RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-81, (A)(1), (A)(4)
Residential premises, multifamily residential complexes, and commercial customers located in a mandatory service area and/or recycling zone shall be required to subscribe to the licensed hauler's three-container system unless they apply for, qualify for, and receive a written self-haul waiver from the County. ... A.Organic Waste Generators. SB 1383 requirements that apply to organic waste gener...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping solid waste anywhere in unincorporated Butte County without a licensed hauler is a misdemeanor under Code Section 49-2, punishable per Section 1-7(a). The County's Enforcement Officer can instead levy administrative penalties under Section 49-8: $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within one year, and $500 for a third or later violation. Vehicles used to dump refuse are subject to seizure and forfeiture under Article II.
Butte County Illegal Dumping Fines and Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 49-8
a.In addition to the costs of administrative enforcement as provided in Section 49-7, any person who violates section 49-2 and/or 49-3 is liable to the County for administrative penalties in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each violation set forth in the administrative order.b.If a second violation of this is caused by a responsible party whom has already been determined to be l...
Yard Waste Collection
Butte County defines yard waste as green waste discarded from a landscape, and requires that anything a customer sets at the curb for pickup fit strict size limits: nothing longer than three feet, and nothing thicker than six inches in diameter, and it has to fit inside the container the hauler provides. Franchised haulers collect it alongside trash and recycling under Chapter 31.
Butte County Yard Waste and Green Waste Rules
Light RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances §§ 31-11.220.2, 31-11.590
"Green waste" shall be green material that is any plant material separated at the point of generation. It contains no greater than one (1) percent of physical contaminants by weight. Green waste includes, but is not limited to, yard trimmings, untreated wood wastes, natural fiber products, and construction and demolition wood waste. Green waste does not include food material, biosolids, mixed s...
Dumpster Rules
Renting a roll-off or debris box in unincorporated Butte County means using a licensed hauler: Section 31-20 makes it unlawful to collect or dispose of solid waste using "roll-off containers, dumpsters, debris boxes, or similar receptacles" without a county-issued license. A debris box is defined as a container of at least ten cubic yards dropped at the customer's site for loading.
Butte County Roll-Off and Dumpster Licensing
Significant RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances §§ 31-11.160, 31-20
"Debris box" or "drop box" or "roll-off" means a solid waste container with a capacity of at least ten (10) cubic yards transported by a vehicle and set off at a customer's location for loading. ... (a)It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to collect, transport, process, or dispose of solid waste, including refuse, recyclable material, green waste, and food wast...
Collection Schedule
Every licensed hauler in unincorporated Butte County must run weekly solid waste and organic waste pickup, plus recyclables at least every other week, across the mandatory service area under Code section 31-35(C). Trucks cannot start before 5:30 a.m. or run past 8:00 p.m. within 500 feet of a residential zone, and Sunday collection needs an emergency or the Local Enforcement Agency's sign-off.
Butte County Weekly Trash Collection Mandate
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-35(C)(1), (C)(6)
C.Collection Requirements. Each licensed hauler shall conform to the following conditions:1.Residential Collection Services. Every licensed hauler shall provide weekly solid waste and organic waste collection service, and no less than bi-weekly collection of recyclables, to all residential premises located in a mandatory service area and/or recycling zone unless otherwise authorized by the Coun...
Recycling Rules
In unincorporated Butte County, licensed haulers must provide weekly trash and organics pickup and recycling collection at least every two weeks to every home and business inside a mandatory service area under Section 31-35. Each licensee also has to divert at least 25 percent of what it collects away from disposal every year and report the results to the county's Solid Waste Management division.
Butte County Recycling Collection Requirements
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 31-35
A.Licensee shall implement programs to divert from disposal a minimum of twenty-five (25) percent of the solid waste it collects annually. ... C.Collection Requirements. Each licensed hauler shall conform to the following conditions:1.Residential Collection Services. Every licensed hauler shall provide weekly solid waste and organic waste collection service, and no less than bi-weekly collectio...
Trash & Recycling by City in Butte County
1 cities in Butte County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Butte County ordinances
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