Santa Cruz County, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

230, part of the Universal Service Requirements article added by Ordinance 5383 in 2021, prohibits residing in or leasing residential property, or operating or leasing commercial property, at any time when recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste collection service is not being provided by a County-authorized service provider, and the mandate reached every unincorporated area, not just the urban and rural services lines, as of January 1, 2022. Real estate brokers and salespersons may not arrange rentals without ensuring the lease requires those services, and the code puts compliance responsibility squarely on the legal owner of the premises.

250, and must keep recyclables and organics out of the solid waste container entirely. Placing prohibited contaminants in the wrong container can trigger non-collection and contamination processing fees. Owners of multi-family and commercial properties carry extra duties: supplying enough labeled containers for tenants, employees, and customers, educating tenants and employees about sorting at least annually, and briefing any new tenant or employee within 14 calendar days of occupancy or hire. A generator can only skip curbside service by self-hauling, which requires the Director of Public Works' prior written permission, use of the generator's own vehicle, an account at a County resource management facility, and record-keeping the County can inspect. 260 allows the Director to grant temporary exemptions at his sole discretion.