San Bernardino, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

Mandatory organics collection in the unincorporated County is driven by California state law, Senate Bill (SB) 1383, rather than by an independent County ordinance. SB 1383, with CalRecycle regulations, sets statewide targets to cut organic-waste disposal 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025 to reduce methane and other short-lived climate pollutants. It requires all residences and businesses to sort and separately collect food scraps, yard debris, and food-soiled paper from trash and recycling, and to subscribe to an organics waste collection service. San Bernardino County implements SB 1383 for its unincorporated residents and businesses through the WM franchise: beginning in 2022 the County changed how trash is collected for most unincorporated residents and businesses, and WM provides a 96-gallon organics cart (formerly green waste). Accepted organics include food waste (cooked and raw - vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, bones, baked goods), yard/garden waste (grass clippings, leaves, small branches, garden trimmings), produce, and food-soiled paper such as napkins, coffee filters, greasy pizza boxes, and uncoated paper plates/cups. To reduce odor, residents are advised to put food waste in a paper bag. Some commercial customers (tier-one and tier-two edible food generators under SB 1383) must also recover and donate edible food to food recovery organizations. WM monitors organics carts for contamination using Smart Truck technology; repeated contamination can lead to non-collection or extra-pickup charges. A Self-Haul Exemption is available for eligible properties.