El Dorado County, CA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

500(A) makes the owner of any residence, commercial establishment, institution or industrial property responsible for satisfactory storage and removal of all solid waste generated there, including waste left behind by a tenant. Non-recyclable waste cannot sit on the property more than seven days, a limit meant to stop flies, rodents and other vectors, except when normal collection is disrupted. Subsection (B) lists the only recognized disruptions: a collection strike, severe weather or an act of God that makes pickup impossible with normal equipment, or an official holiday that interrupts the usual seven-day cycle, in which case pickup is simply pushed to the next working day.

Subsection (C) lets the Department, Building Department or Health Department order more frequent removal where vector propagation is a concern, while recyclable materials that have been separated out may sit longer than seven days as long as they stay clean and don't create a nuisance or fire hazard. 520 sets the container standard behind this schedule: residential containers must be covered, watertight, vector-resistant cans holding no more than 60 pounds or 32 gallons, and any item too large for a can, such as an appliance, mattress or piece of furniture, has to go out through a special pickup arranged with the franchised hauler or be self-hauled to an authorized facility.