Sonora, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

California SB 1383 (the state's short-lived climate pollutant law) generally requires jurisdictions to provide organic-waste (food and green waste) collection and to recover edible food. Tuolumne County, however, applied for and was granted the SB 1383 Organics Rural Exemption from CalRecycle. Per the County's Senate Bill 1383 page, the rural exemption "provides a temporary delay in the residential collection requirements until December 31, 2026," and "at this time, there will be no change to residential curbside collection requirements." This is the key distinction for unincorporated Tuolumne County: residents are not yet required to subscribe to a separate organics/green-waste cart while the rural exemption is in effect. The exemption does not waive everything - rural jurisdictions must still implement SB 1383's commercial edible-food-recovery program, recycled-paper procurement, and model water-efficient landscaping requirements. Accordingly, "some commercial food generators will now be required to donate edible food that would otherwise be disposed of," with the underlying regulations effective January 1, 2022. The County reports it "developed and received Board of Supervisors approval on the SB 1383 Organics local ordinance." Green waste and slash can still be self-hauled or managed through existing county programs. Businesses and food generators with questions should contact the Solid Waste Division at (209) 533-5588.