Fresno, CA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Section 6-206(a) requires every person owning or occupying a residence or commercial establishment to subscribe to solid waste, segregated recyclable materials, and organic materials collection service from an authorized cart/bin collection agent or authorized roll-off collector, and lets the city review a customer's container count and size to make sure capacity matches what the property actually generates. Section 6-205(b) backs that up on the collection side: every responsible person at a service location with any accumulation of material must place it in the appropriate container for pickup at least once a week, and no one but an authorized cart/bin collection agent or roll-off collector may perform the collection itself.

Customers must sort into the blue (recyclables), green (organics), and gray (solid waste) containers under Section 6-205(c)(3)(ii). Commercial customers get one narrow alternative: Section 6-206(b) lets them back-haul their own segregated recyclables and organic materials to a qualified facility instead of using a hauler, provided they keep delivery records the city can inspect. Section 6-209(b) separately requires anyone privately collecting another person's material to hold a city franchise, and Section 6-214 makes it a distinct violation to remove material someone else has already set out for collection. Enforcement runs through Section 6-215's inspection authority and Section 6-216's notice-of-violation process, which gives 60 days to fix a problem before a fine issues.