Los Banos, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

02 requires single-family dwellings, multifamily residential dwellings, and commercial businesses alike to subscribe to the City's three-container organic waste collection service, placing garbage in the gray container, recyclables in the blue container, and organic materials such as green waste and food waste in the green container. Multifamily and commercial accounts carry added duties: providing enough properly labeled or colored containers for employees, contractors, and tenants, and giving new tenants written education, within 14 days of occupancy, on separating waste and the location and rules for using each container.

Commercial businesses must also follow AB 827 by placing green and blue containers in every indoor and outdoor area where customer disposal containers exist. 03 lets the City grant de minimis waivers, available when a business's organic waste subject to blue- or green-container collection falls under 20 gallons a week (for accounts of two cubic yards or more weekly service) or under 10 gallons a week (for smaller accounts), and physical-space waivers when a licensed architect or engineer documents inadequate room for the required containers; both waivers need renewed verification every five years and are reviewed by the Public Works Director.

04. 09: the City issues a notice of violation giving 60 days to come into compliance (or immediate notice for container contamination after three occurrences), and an uncorrected violation escalates to an administrative citation with a base penalty of $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second, and $250 for a third or subsequent violation, all processed under the Title 4, Chapter 11 administrative citation procedure with a right to an administrative hearing.