Riverside, CA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Who may collect
- City haulers or permitted self-haulers only
- Minimum residential service
- Once per week
- Mandatory subscription
- Every occupied residence must have service
- Self-haul alternative
- Permit under §6.04.055, own waste only
- Landlord restriction
- Self-hauler permit can't cover tenants
Summary
Every Riverside home must subscribe to city or contractor trash collection, or hold a self-hauler permit, and only city-authorized haulers may collect solid waste in the city at all, with residential service guaranteed at least once a week under RMC § 6.04.050.
A.No person, persons, firm or corporation other than one of the City authorized solid waste haulers acting pursuant to their contract with the City, municipal solid waste collection crews or a person or firm acting under the authority and within the limitation of a valid self-hauler permit issued pursuant to this chapter, shall collect solid waste, recyclable or organic recyclable materials within the City....C.Except as provided in subdivision D of this section, solid waste collection shall be provided from residential property at a minimum of once a week.D.Every owner, lessee, tenant or occupant of residential property shall remove or cause to be removed all solid waste created, produced or brought upon the premises according to the schedule in this section by subscribing to the solid waste collection service of the City or the contractor authorized by the City Council to provide such service to that property; provided, however, one may provide one's own service pursuant to a self-hauler permit as provided in this chapter for the removal of solid waste created by one's own activity as a residential occupant, but not as a landlord for one's tenant or lessee.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
050 is Riverside's mandatory-service backbone: it makes trash collection something every residence must have, not an opt-in convenience. Subsection A bars anyone from collecting solid waste, recyclables or organics within the city except city-authorized solid waste haulers acting under contract, municipal solid waste collection crews, or someone operating under a valid self-hauler permit, freelance haulers and unlicensed operators are shut out entirely. Subsection B extends that exclusivity to temporary bin service. 070. 055 to haul away only the waste generated by one's own residential activity, which specifically cannot be used by a landlord to service a tenant's waste.
In practice this means a Riverside household cannot simply decline trash service and self-haul informally; it must either pay for subscription service or hold a City-issued self-hauler permit.
Violations & Fines
Collecting solid waste in Riverside without being a city-authorized hauler or a valid self-hauler permittee violates § 6.04.050(A)-(B) outright. A resident who fails to subscribe to service or obtain a self-hauler permit, letting waste accumulate instead, separately risks a citation under § 6.04.130's ban on accumulated waste matter. Both violations fall under the citywide default penalty of § 1.01.110: up to a $250 infraction fine, or, if charged as a misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and six months in county jail, with the city able to pursue administrative citations under Chapter 1.17 as an alternative to criminal prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I required to pay for trash service in Riverside, or can I haul my own?
Can a private company other than the city's contractor pick up my trash?
Can a landlord use a self-hauler permit to handle a tenant's trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Collection Schedule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle collection schedule.