Santa Cruz County, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

Mandatory organics recycling in unincorporated Santa Cruz County is driven by California Senate Bill 1383, which the County implements through its Universal Service requirement in County Code Chapter 7.20 (Ordinance 5383). SB 1383 requires jurisdictions to provide and residents and businesses to use organic-waste collection in order to reduce methane from food and yard waste decomposing in landfills, with a statewide goal of cutting organic-waste disposal 75% below 2014 levels. Under the County ordinance, every developed property must subscribe to organics service through GreenWaste Recovery (or register as a self-hauler) and keep organic waste out of the regular trash. GreenWaste provides one green 96-gallon organics cart at no extra charge (a 64-gallon size is available on request) for both food scraps and yard trimmings, collected weekly on the customer's garbage day. Material from the green cart is composted at the County's Buena Vista Landfill. Extra yard trimmings may be placed in 32-gallon cans or secured bundles no larger than three feet by three feet next to the organics cart. SB 1383 also requires businesses and multifamily properties to arrange organics collection and imposes edible-food-recovery obligations on certain food generators. The County's Universal Service compliance timeline applies, with fines beginning after November 1, 2026 for properties that have not arranged compliant service. Residents who self-haul must keep organics separated and deliver them to approved facilities rather than landfilling them.