Anaheim, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Anaheim Municipal Code § 10.10.090
- Collection system
- Mandatory weekly Three-Container service for single-family homes
- Effective date
- Ord. 6519, December 11, 2021
- On-site option
- Backyard composting allowed instead of curbside organics
- Enforcing agency
- City Manager's Designee / Code Enforcement Officers
- First violation
- Infraction; escalates to fines under Chapter 1.01
Summary
Anaheim requires every single-family household to subscribe to the city franchisee's Three-Container System and place food scraps and other organic material only in the Organic Materials Container under Municipal Code Section 10.10.090. Weekly separate collection of solid waste, recyclables, and organics is mandatory citywide, implementing the state's SB 1383 organic-waste diversion mandate.
.010 Responsible Parties of Single-Family Premises shall comply with the following requirements: (1) Subscribe to and pay for Franchisee's Three-Container System collection services for weekly collection of Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials, and Solid Waste generated by the Single-Family Premises and comply with requirements of those services as described below in this Section .010(b)... .020 Participate in the Franchisee's Three-Container System (Recyclable Materials Container, Organic Materials Container, and Solid Waste Container) service(s) in the manner described below. (1) Place and/or direct its Generators to place Source Separated Organic Materials, including Food Waste, in the Organic Materials Container; Source Separated Recyclable Materials in the Recyclable Materials Container; and Solid Waste in the Solid Waste Container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Code: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 6627, passed 8-11-2026 | Zoning: Local legislation current through Ord. 6627, passed 8-11-2026).
Full Breakdown
090 of the Anaheim Municipal Code makes participation mandatory, not optional. Every Responsible Party of a single-family premises must subscribe to and pay for the Franchisee's Three-Container System, which provides separate weekly collection of Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials, and Solid Waste, and the household must place food waste, food-soiled paper and other Source Separated Organic Materials in the green Organic Materials Container rather than the black Solid Waste cart. The ordinance defines Food Scraps broadly to include fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bread, cheese and eggshells, and Food Waste as Food Scraps plus compostable Food-Soiled Paper such as pizza boxes and paper coffee cups.
The City Manager or a designee may review the number and size of a household's containers and can order a resident to adjust its service level to provide adequate separation capacity. 9(c) instead of putting scraps in the cart. 120. 190.
Violations & Fines
Putting food scraps or other organics in the trash cart, or refusing to subscribe to the Three-Container System, is a violation Code Enforcement can cite under Section 10.10.200. A written Notice of Violation gives the property owner or tenant time to correct the problem; willfully failing to comply after that notice is an infraction under Section 10.10.180. Repeat or ongoing violations can draw administrative fines up to the maximum set in Chapter 1.01 of the Municipal Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to put food scraps in a separate bin in Anaheim?
Can I compost at home instead of using the organics cart?
What happens if I keep putting organics in the trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anaheim
California rules heatmap·Compare Anaheim to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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