San Bernardino County, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Effective
- Ord. 4434 (2022), implementing SB 1383
- Applies to
- single-family organic waste generators, unincorporated county
- Service tiers
- three-, two-, or one-container collection
- On-site option
- prevent, reduce, or compost per 14 CCR §18984.9(c)
- Waivers
- commercial-only, §§46.1402-.1404, not for single-family
- Penalty
- $100-$500 base fine, each day separate
- Enforcement
- Public Works-Solid Waste Management Division
Summary
Every single-family household in unincorporated San Bernardino County must subscribe to the County's organic waste collection service under Code § 46.1302, sorting food scraps and yard trimmings into a green or blue container so they never reach the gray trash container. Residents choose from a three-container, two-container, or single-container service tier, and may instead compost on site.
Single-family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements: (a) Shall subscribe to the County's organic waste collection services for all organic waste generated as described in Subsection (b) below. The County shall have the right to review the number and size of generator's containers to evaluate adequacy of capacity provided by each type of collection service for proper separation of materials and containment of materials; and a single-family generator shall adjust its service level for its collection services as requested by the County. Generators may additionally manage their organic waste by preventing or reducing their organic waste, managing organic waste on site, and/or using a community composting site pursuant to 14 CCR § 18984.9(c). (b) Shall participate in the County's organic waste collection services by placing designated materials in designated containers as described below and shall not place prohibited container contaminants in collection containers.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13 of Division 6, added by Ordinance 4434 in 2022 to implement the state's SB 1383 organic waste rules, applies to every single-family organic waste generator in the unincorporated county. 1302(a) requires each household to subscribe to the County's organic waste collection service, and the County can inspect a resident's container sizes and count to check they are adequate, ordering the household to adjust its service level if not. 9(c), rather than subscribing. 1302(b) sets out three compliance paths: Option 1 is a three- or three-plus-container system splitting green-container organics (including food waste under Option 1a, or yard waste only under Option 1b), blue-container recyclables, and gray-container trash; Option 2 is a two-container system pairing either the green or the blue container with the gray container; Option 3 is a single, unsegregated gray container for households whose hauler has not yet rolled out separated service.
Whatever tier applies, the household may never place green- or blue-container material in the gray container, and may not put prohibited container contaminants in any bin. 1404) reserves for commercial businesses and multifamily dwellings of five or more units; those waivers do not extend to single-family accounts.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance is an infraction under § 46.1601, enforced through the Code's general fine schedule at § 11.0206: up to a $100 base fine for a first offense, $200 for a second violation of the same section within a year, and $500 for each further violation in that year, with each day the household stays out of compliance charged as its own separate offense. The Public Works-Solid Waste Management Division handles most field checks that lead to citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to sign up for organics recycling if I live in unincorporated San Bernardino County?
Can I just compost at home instead of subscribing to collection?
What container system will my house have?
Can I get a waiver from the organics recycling requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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