Berkeley, CA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum residential pickup
- At least once per week
- Delinquency window
- 31 days after billing
- Late penalty
- 10% plus 1.5%/month after 1 year
- Who may collect
- Only City agents or franchised haulers
- Fee-setting authority
- City Council by resolution
Summary
Berkeley declares garbage collection an essential service performed exclusively by the City. Every owner whose property generates garbage must use and pay for City collection, with pickup at least weekly from private residences.
Garbage collection service is provided by the City, and all owners of premises and places in the City in or from which garbage is created, accumulated or produced shall use or cause to be used, and pay the fees charged for, the City's collection service. It is unlawful for any person, other than authorized agents or employees of the City, to collect, remove or dispose of garbage in the City... Collection of garbage shall be made at least once a week from private residences and as many times per week as the Director of Public Works may order from all other places.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 8031-NS, passed July 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050 makes City-run garbage collection mandatory and exclusive citywide. Subsection A finds that periodic collection is essential to public health and a direct benefit to every property that generates garbage. 60 and to in-sink garbage disposal devices permitted under the plumbing code. 060 (subsection D). Collection frequency is set at a floor of once weekly from private residences, with the Director of Public Works empowered to order more frequent pickups from other kinds of premises (subsection E), and that Director may also establish collection districts across the City (subsection F).
060(A); the City may also bill through a special property-tax assessment and can hold both the generator and the property owner jointly liable for unpaid charges under subsection B of that section.
Violations & Fines
Failure to pay garbage fees allows the City to reduce or discontinue collection service thirty days after mailing a delinquency notice under Section 12.32.060(A), and unpaid balances may be pursued through any collection method available under state law, with all remedies cumulative. Operating as an unauthorized garbage collector in violation of Section 12.32.050(B), or otherwise violating Chapter 12.32, is an infraction under Section 12.32.110, punishable per Chapter 1.20 of the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip City garbage service and haul my own trash in Berkeley?
How often must Berkeley collect garbage from a house?
What happens if I don't pay my Berkeley garbage bill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Collection Schedule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle collection schedule.