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

Refuse containers in the unincorporated county are supplied by the franchised garbage company and remain that company's property; the customer is responsible for maintaining "a sufficient number of refuse carts to meet the needs of their household, thus eliminating over-filled carts." Per the County's Solid Waste Management guidance, carts should be placed for pickup in the alley (if one exists) or immediately adjacent to the nearest county- or state-maintained road accessible to the garbage company. They may be set out the night before scheduled service or no later than 5:00 a.m. on the service day. Critically for bin storage, carts "should be removed from the alley or street no later than 6:00 p.m. on the day of service and screened from public view." This screening-from-view requirement means carts left visible at the curb between collection days can become a code-enforcement concern under the County's general property-maintenance and nuisance authority. Prohibited materials must not be placed in carts, including tires, explosives, flammables, hazardous waste, "hot" fireplace or BBQ ashes, paint, oil, batteries, aerosols, and pool chemicals. These set-out and removal rules are administered by the County and its three franchised haulers (Bertolotti Disposal, Gilton Solid Waste, and Turlock Scavenger), not by the incorporated cities.