San Benito County, CA Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

Solid waste collection in the unincorporated county is governed by San Benito County Code Chapter 15.01 (Solid Waste Regulations). It is unlawful to commercially collect solid waste or recyclables in the unincorporated area without a county franchise, and Recology San Benito County is the exclusive franchise hauler for the mandatory service area, the same hauler serving Hollister and San Juan Bautista. Recology supplies wheeled carts for garbage, a 64-gallon recycling cart, and a 96-gallon organics cart. The County Code does not publish a separate detailed cart-screening ordinance, but the general public nuisance provision (Sec. 1.06.030) makes accumulated rubbish, junk and discarded containers that create visual blight unlawful, so carts should be returned from the curb and stored out of public view after pickup. Recology's set-out guidance asks that carts be placed in the street with wheels against the curb (or roadside where there is no curb), lids toward the street, and about 18 inches apart. Overflowing or improperly stored containers that spill trash onto the property can trigger code enforcement under the nuisance and Chapter 15.01 provisions. Because these are county and franchise rules, they apply only in the unincorporated area, not inside the two incorporated cities.