Ventura, CA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest curb set-out
- 4:00 p.m. day before pickup
- Cart removal deadline
- 8:00 p.m. day of pickup
- Anti-scavenging rule
- § 6.500.150(E)
- Placement disputes resolved by
- Director of Public Works, § 6.500.150(B)
Summary
In Ventura, carts can go to the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled pickup and must come back in by 8:00 p.m. the day they're emptied, under Municipal Code § 6.500.150(C). No one but the generator, the franchisee, or a city permittee may touch someone else's container or its contents.
C. Occupants shall not place containers at the curb for collection by a franchisee at any time other than the days established by the franchisee for the collection of such solid waste, including black container waste, food waste, green waste, or recyclable materials on the particular route involved or earlier than 4:00 p.m. of the day preceding the day designated for collection. All containers shall be removed from the place of collection prior to 8:00 p.m. of the day the containers have been emptied. ... E. ... No person other than the waste generator or any employee, franchisee, or permittee of the city shall move, remove, or interfere with any container or its contents.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
on the day it was emptied. 150(D) puts the burden of watching the cart on the occupant, who must keep it in sanitary condition and, if the franchisee skips a scheduled pickup, notify the franchisee or the city so collection can be arranged. 150(E) is the city's anti-scavenging rule: no one other than the waste generator or an employee, franchisee, or permittee of the city may move, remove, or interfere with a container or its contents, which bars strangers from picking through a neighbor's recycling or trash cart. 150(B).
Violations & Fines
Setting a cart out earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before pickup, or leaving it at the curb past 8:00 p.m. on collection day, violates § 6.500.150(C). Interfering with, moving, or taking contents from a container that isn't yours, unless you're the generator, franchisee, or a city permittee, violates the anti-scavenging rule in § 6.500.150(E).
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I put my trash cans out in Ventura?
When do I have to bring my empty cans back in?
Can someone else legally take items out of my recycling bin?
What should I do if the truck skips my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Pickup Rules & Schedules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle pickup rules & schedules.