Alhambra, CA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum frequency
- once per week
- No collection hours
- 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Commercial frequency
- negotiable above minimum
- Truck noise limit
- 75 dB(A) at 25 feet
- Route design duty
- minimize noise, traffic, pollution
Summary
Alhambra Municipal Code § 6.16.170 sets a once-a-week minimum for solid waste collection and bars residential and commercial pickups between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to protect residents' quiet enjoyment of their homes.
(A) To protect public health, safety and well-being, and to protect the city against the growth and spread of vectors, persons m charge of the day-to-day operation of each premises in the city shall make arrangements to have all solid waste on the premises (other than construction and demolition debris) collected and removed not less frequently than once a week. ... (D) In order to protect residents' quiet enjoyment of their residential premises, collection from residential premises, both single family and multifamily, shall not be made between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day. Collection from commercial premises shall not be made between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 4851, passed 10-27-25).
Full Breakdown
Section 6.16.170(A) requires whoever runs a premises to arrange collection and removal of all solid waste, other than construction and demolition debris, not less than once a week; subsection (B) holds every collector to that same once-weekly minimum for commercial bins. Subsection (C) lets commercial and multifamily residential operators negotiate a higher pickup frequency and choose bin size and number above that floor. To protect residents' quiet enjoyment, subsection (D) bars collection from residential premises, single-family or multifamily, between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day, and applies the same 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. blackout to commercial premises. Subsection (E) requires collectors to design routes and timing to minimize air pollution, traffic, noise and street wear, consistent with the city's Traffic Demand Management Plan. A related noise limit in § 6.16.200 caps collection-truck noise during stationary compaction at 75 dB(A) measured 25 feet from the vehicle at a five-foot elevation.
Violations & Fines
Collecting solid waste before 6:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m., or servicing a premises less than once a week, violates § 6.16.170 and is enforceable as a misdemeanor under § 6.16.290, punishable per §§ 1.12.010 through 1.12.050 with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. A collector's compaction noise exceeding 75 dB(A) at 25 feet violates § 6.16.200 and carries the same chapter-wide penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alhambra
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