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

25 of the general code governs when and how collectors can work Santa Clara's residential streets. , protecting early-morning and evening quiet hours. Subsection (b) requires every collection to be made "as quietly as possible" and bans unnecessarily noisy trucks or equipment outright. The section then sets equipment standards for every hauler operating under a city contract: collection vehicles must comply with the California Vehicle Code, carry garbage, recyclables, clean green and organic waste without leakage or spillage, and keep containers covered while the truck is in operation to block access by flies, insects and rodents.

Trucks must be painted a uniform color specific to each authorized collector, numbered consecutively, and marked on each side and the rear with the contractor's name, in-service phone number, place of business and vehicle number in letters readable from 100 feet, so residents and code officers can identify which company is on their street. Crews are also responsible for picking up any litter their own trucks generate during a run. 090, which set a 20-gallon minimum container size for single-family homes and one container or its equivalent per unit for apartments, duplexes, motels and mobile home parks, and let the City Manager order push/pull service or a bigger container where what's on-site isn't enough.