Alhambra, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

120 sets design and locational standards for refuse, recycling, compost and green-waste storage, covering both individual containers and shared enclosures. Individual containers are reserved for single-unit homes, buildings with three or fewer units, or non-residential sites where the Community Development Director finds the use will be adequately served without a shared enclosure; even then, containers cannot sit in a front or street-side setback, a required parking area, a required landscaped area, or anywhere visible from the public right-of-way. Everywhere else, subsection (B)(2) requires a full waste and recycling container enclosure: new residential developments of four or more units, and non-residential development generally, must build one sized to hold every trash, recycling and green-waste receptacle until pickup.

The enclosure has to sit within 100 feet of an access point for a non-residential building, or within 200 feet for the residential unit it serves, and stay clear of front and street-side setbacks and required parking or landscaping. Access for the hauler's trucks and equipment must allow sufficient maneuvering, and developments of ten or more residential units need independent access so trash can be deposited without opening gates. The enclosure itself needs a solid screen at least five feet high with a roof structure, built of solid masonry or concrete tilt-up finished to match the building's architecture, and closed with a latching, view-obscuring gate.