Upland, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 13.28.370, titled 'No burning, burial, or dumping of solid waste or recyclables,' states flatly: 'It is unlawful at any time for any person, including collectors, to burn, bury, dump or otherwise dispose of any solid waste, recyclables, or organic waste within the city.' The ban applies to everyone, not just the general public: the code specifically calls out the city's own authorized collectors, so a hauler cannot dispose of material by dumping it rather than delivering it to a permitted facility. This section sits alongside § 13.28.300, which separately requires anyone who deposits solid waste on public property, the public right-of-way, or private property in public view to immediately clean it up, and § 13.28.450, which declares any accumulation of solid waste beyond one week a public nuisance under California Government Code § 38771, subject to summary abatement under Government Code § 38773.

Chapter 13.28's enforcement section, § 13.28.730, governs how illegal dumping and other solid waste violations are cited: an enforcement officer issues a notice of violation and an administrative citation under the procedures of Chapter 1.22, and the city may also pursue civil action or prosecution as a misdemeanor or infraction, including civil suits to recover unpaid administrative citation amounts.