5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in San Mateo County, California.
Verified from official government sources
In the unincorporated Service Area, County Code Chapter 4.04 establishes mandatory minimum residential collection — garbage, recycling, and organics carts picked up once a week. Recology San Mateo County serves franchised areas including County Service Area 8 (North Fair Oaks); other unincorporated pockets are served by GreenWaste, Republic Services, South San Francisco Scavenger, or Kunz Valley Trash under non-exclusive franchises.
Cal. SB 1383 (2016) - Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (Organic Waste Recycling)
It is the intent of the Legislature to support the adoption of policies that improve organics recycling and innovative, cost effective, and environmentally beneficial uses of biomethane derived from solid waste facilities. (c) It is intent of the Legislature that the disposal reduction targets established pursuant to Section 39730.6 of the Health and Safety Code shall serve as a statewide avera...
Setout rules in unincorporated San Mateo County are set mainly by the franchised hauler. Recology instructs residents to place carts curbside before 6 a.m. on the service day, wheels against the curb and lid toward the street, spaced about 2 to 3 feet apart facing the same direction. County Code separately requires materials to be contained in transit.
Recology San Mateo County residential customers receive two free curbside Bulky Item Collection appointments per calendar year, scheduled February 1 through December 31 on the regular collection day. Each appointment accepts a defined set — one large appliance, one bulky item, one e-waste item, and up to twelve 32-gallon bags — with weight and size limits and hazardous/construction exclusions.
Recycling is part of the mandatory minimum residential service under County Code Chapter 4.04, with single-stream recyclables collected weekly alongside garbage and organics. The County franchise color scheme is gray/black for garbage, blue for recycling, and green for compost. Electronics are banned from the trash, and businesses and multifamily properties must provide recycling containers under state law.
CalRecycle - SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy
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. 3 MILLION CARS worth of climate pollution will be cut by reaching SB 1383’s recycling and food rescue targets SB 1383 Progress Program News... California̵...
California SB 1383 requires residents and businesses to subscribe to and participate in organics (compost) collection. San Mateo County implements it for the unincorporated area by amending County Code Chapter 4.04, and standard residential service includes a weekly green organics cart for food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings. The County conducts required annual compliance inspections.
2 cities in San Mateo County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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