Upland, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- UMC §§ 13.28.550, 13.28.560
- Applies to
- Single-family organic waste generators
- Container system
- Blue, green, gray
- Alternative
- Backyard or community composting
- Origin
- Ord. 1956 (2021), SB 1383 compliance
Summary
Upland requires single-family households to subscribe to organic waste collection and sort materials by container: green for source-separated organics like food scraps and yard trimmings, blue for recyclables, and gray for everything else, under Municipal Code Sections 13.28.550 and 13.28.560, enacted for state SB 1383 compliance.
Single-family organic waste generators shall comply with the following requirements: ... Shall subscribe to the city's organic waste collection services for all organic waste generated as described below in (A)(2) ... Generators may additionally manage their organic waste by preventing or reducing their organic waste, managing organic waste through backyard residential composting, and/or using a community composting site. ... Shall participate in the city's three-container system for source separated blue container recyclable materials, source separated green container organic materials, and gray container waste collection services. Generator participation in the collection programs requires that generators place source separated green container organic waste, including food waste, in the green container; source separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and gray container waste in the gray container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4480959; v4 updated 2025-09-22).
Full Breakdown
560's performance-based approach, which automatically enrolls single-family generators in the 'three-container system for source separated blue container recyclable materials, source separated green container organic materials, and gray container waste collection services,' and requires that 'generators place source separated green container organic waste, including food waste, in the green container; source separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and gray container waste in the gray container,' while barring cross-contamination between the three. Both sections trace to Ordinance 1956 of 2021, the city's implementation of the state's SB 1383 organic-waste-reduction mandate, and both let the city adjust a household's required container size or service level over time.
The chapter defines 'organic waste' broadly to include food scraps, green material, landscape and pruning waste, paper products, and manure, so the separation duty reaches into kitchen waste as well as yard debris.
Violations & Fines
Failing to subscribe to organic waste service or contaminating a container by placing prohibited materials in it can draw a notice of violation as defined in Section 13.28.030, followed by the general Title 1 penalty scheme: a misdemeanor under Section 1.16.010 punishable by up to $1,000.00, or an infraction-level administrative citation under Section 1.22.040 running $100.00 for a first offense up to $500.00 for a third within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to separate food scraps from regular trash in Upland?
Can I compost at home instead of using the green cart?
What happens if I mix recyclables into the gray trash container?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upland
California rules heatmap·Compare Upland to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Mandatory Organics Recycling in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle mandatory organics recycling.