Inglewood, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. 22-07, adopted April 5, 2022
- Required service
- Weekly 3-container collection: black, blue, green
- First violation penalty
- $50 to $100 civil fine
- Repeat violation penalty
- $100 to $500 per § 7-53.13(e)
- Civil penalties began
- January 1, 2024 (2022-23 education-only)
- Enforcing official
- City Manager / Code Enforcement Manager
Summary
Every Inglewood single-family home must subscribe to weekly three-container collection and sort food scraps and yard trimmings into the green organics cart under the City's SB 1383 ordinance. Mixing organics into the black refuse container is a code violation that can draw an administrative citation.
Responsible parties of single family dwellings shall comply with the following requirements: (1) Subscribe to and pay for franchisee provided three container collection services for weekly collection of recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste generated by the single family dwellings and comply with requirements of those services as described below... (3) 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 blue container; and refuse in the black container. (4) Not place and/or direct its generators to not place prohibited container contaminants in collection containers and not place materials designated for the organic materials container or blue container in the black container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4954608; v8 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
4, adopted by Ordinance 22-07 on April 5, 2022 to implement Senate Bill 1383, requires the responsible party of every single-family dwelling to subscribe to and pay for the franchisee's three-container weekly collection service covering recyclable materials, organic materials and solid waste. Households must place source-separated organic materials, including food waste, in the green organic materials container; recyclables in the blue container; and everything else in the black refuse container, and residents may not direct anyone to dump 'prohibited container contaminants' into the wrong cart.
The City can review a household's container sizes and force an adjustment if capacity doesn't match what it's putting out. 2 to mean green waste and food waste kept separate from recyclables and solid waste, and 'food waste' covers food scraps and food-soiled paper such as pizza boxes and paper coffee cups. 4. 13(i). 13(g).
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the organics-separation mandate carries a $50 to $100 civil penalty, a second violation $100 to $200, and a third or later violation $250 to $500, per § 7-53.13(e). The City typically issues a cart-tag notice of contamination before penalizing repeat offenders and can pursue unpaid citations as a civil action once a household ignores multiple notices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Inglewood homeowners have to separate food waste?
What's the fine for not sorting organic waste in Inglewood?
Can I appeal an organics violation citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Inglewood
California rules heatmap·Compare Inglewood to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Mandatory Organics Recycling in Nearby Cities
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