San Luis Obispo County, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code Sec. 8.99.030
- Requirement
- weekly 3-container service: organics, recycling, trash
- Opt-out
- qualifying self-haulers, Sec. 8.99.100
- On-site alternative
- backyard management or community composting
- Program name
- Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Program
Summary
Single-family homes in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must subscribe to weekly three-container collection: separate bins for organic waste (including food scraps), recyclables and solid waste, under County Code Section 8.99.030.
(a)Except responsible parties of single-family premises that meet the self-hauler requirements in Section 8.99.100 of this chapter, responsible parties of single-family premises shall comply with the following requirements:(1)Subscribe to and pay for three-container 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 Section 8.99.030(a)(2)... (2)Participate in the three-container collection service(s) in the manner described below.a.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... (b)Nothing in this section prohibits a responsible party or generator of a single-family premises from preventing or reducing discarded materials generation, managing organic waste on site, and/or using a community composting site pursuant to 14 CCR Section 18984.9(c).
Full Breakdown
99, the Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Program, implements the state's SB 1383 organics mandate at the county level. 030(a) requires responsible parties of single-family premises to subscribe to and pay for three-container collection service for weekly pickup of recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste, and to participate by placing source-separated organic materials, including food waste, in the organics container; recyclables in the recycling container; and everything else in the solid waste container. The County or its designee can review a household's container sizes and numbers to check that capacity matches what is needed for proper separation, and can require the responsible party to adjust its service level.
070. 100 lets qualifying self-haulers opt out of subscribing to collection if they meet the chapter's self-hauler requirements instead. 9(c) rather than subscribing to the organics container. 110.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance is handled through the enforcement mechanism in Section 8.99.120, which authorizes the county enforcement official to take enforcement action, including administrative citations, fines and penalties, against a responsible party who fails to subscribe to three-container service or who directs prohibited contaminants into the wrong container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to subscribe to a food-scraps bin?
Can I skip the organics bin if I compost at home?
Does the county check what's in my bins?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Luis Obispo County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Luis Obispo County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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