Trash & Recycling in Marin County, CA (2026)
8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Marin County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential generator in the unincorporated county to subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and to size garbage, recycling and organic containers to the volume produced between pickups. The county can review container count and capacity at any time and order generators to raise their service level to match what they actually generate.
Marin County Mandatory Trash Subscription Rules
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances § 7.00.060(A)-(B)
A. Shall subscribe to the county's organic waste collection services for all organic materials generated as described in this section, except generators that meet the self-hauler requirements set forth in section 7.00.090. B. Shall arrange for a size, quantity, and collection frequency of collection containers to adequately store organic materials generated on the premise between the times desi...
Bin Placement Rules
Marin County Code § 7.00.100 requires every property owner and occupant to store garbage, recycling and organics in tight-fitting metal or approved plastic containers that keep out insects, vermin and odors. Carts may not sit on any public street, sidewalk or footpath except on the day and at the spot the authorized hauler has designated for pickup.
Marin County Trash Cart Storage and Street Placement
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances § 7.00.100(A), (C)
A. It shall be the duty of every property owner, occupant and tenant of any premises within the county to store all solid waste, including, but not limited to, garbage, recyclable materials and organic materials in a collection container. Collection containers shall be constructed of metal or an approved plastic material and having tight fitting covers such that the containers hold the garbage,...
Bulk Item Disposal
Marin County Code § 7.00.010 defines "bulky waste" as oversized items such as mattresses, appliances, furniture, tires and tree limbs that normal collection cannot handle. Outside of a retailer take-back program under § 7.00.110(B)(9), bulky waste in unincorporated Marin can only be collected by a hauler under the county's solid waste franchise agreement.
Marin County Bulky Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances §§ 7.00.010(3), 7.00.110(B)(9)
"Bulky waste" means large items of solid waste such as appliances, e.g., white goods, e-waste (except for universal waste), furniture, tires, carpets, mattresses and similar large items, large auto parts, trees, branches, stumps, and other oversized waste(s) whose large size precludes or complicates their handling by normal collection, processing, or disposal methods. It does not include abando...
Recycling Requirements
Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential generator in unincorporated Marin to sort waste into three streams: garbage, recyclable materials and organic materials, each in its own approved container. Mixing recyclables into the trash cart creates a "prohibited container contaminant" violation the county can cite and fine.
Marin County Curbside Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances § 7.00.060(C)
Shall place source separated organic materials, including food waste, in the organic materials collection container; place source separated recyclable materials in the recyclable material collection container; and place garbage in the approved solid waste collection container. Generators shall not place prohibited container contaminants into the garbage collection container, organic materials c...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential household in the unincorporated area to subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and yard trimmings into a designated organics cart, implementing the state's organic-waste diversion mandate. Only qualified self-haulers under § 7.00.090 are exempt from the subscription requirement.
Marin County Mandatory Organics Recycling
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances § 7.00.060
Each residential generator shall comply with the following requirements: A.Shall subscribe to the county's organic waste collection services for all organic materials generated as described in this section, except generators that meet the self-hauler requirements set forth in section 7.00.090. ... C.Shall place source separated organic materials, including food waste, in the organic materials c...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping garbage, rubbish or refuse on any public or private road, right-of-way or property without the owner's consent, or on county park land, is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Marin under Code § 7.04.130, punishable by up to six months in county jail and a $500 fine. The county pays a $50 reward for tips leading to a conviction.
Illegal Dumping Penalties in Marin County
Heavy RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances §§ 7.04.120, 7.04.130
No person shall place, deposit or dump, or cause to be placed, deposited or dumped, any garbage, rubbish or refuse upon any public or private highway or road, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, or any private property without the consent of the owner, or in or upon any public park or other public property. The county of Marin shall pay the sum of fifty dollars as a reward to any...
Collection Schedule
Marin County Code § 7.00.110 bars anyone from collecting, hauling or handling garbage, recyclables or organic waste in the unincorporated county without a franchise agreement with the county. That exclusive-franchise system is how the county sets the collection days its residents rely on, subject to specific exceptions for self-haulers, contractors and other exempt activities.
Marin County Exclusive Franchise for Waste Collection
Significant RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances § 7.00.110(A), (B)(2)
A. Requirement. No person shall collect, handle, transfer, store, process, transport or use solid waste, including, but not limited to, garbage, recyclable materials or organic waste in the unincorporated area of the county without first entering into a franchise agreement with the county authorizing such activity. B. Exceptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any of the foll...
Recycling Rules
Marin County Code § 7.00.060(C) requires every residential generator to sort food waste and other organics into the organics cart, recyclables into the recycling cart, and garbage into the trash cart, without cross-contaminating any of the three. A separate law, § 7.02.010, makes it unlawful for anyone but the authorized hauler to take recyclables left out for collection.
Marin County Source Separation and Recycling Theft Ban
Some RestrictionsMarin County Code of Ordinances §§ 7.00.060(C), 7.02.010(A)
7.00.060.C. Shall place source separated organic materials, including food waste, in the organic materials collection container; place source separated recyclable materials in the recyclable material collection container; and place garbage in the approved solid waste collection container. Generators shall not place prohibited container contaminants into the garbage collection container, organic...
Trash & Recycling by City in Marin County
1 cities in Marin County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Marin County ordinances
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