Monterey County, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

The unincorporated county uses a three-cart system - trash, recyclables, and organics - and recycling participation is required, not optional. Under the Unified Franchise Agreement that began January 1, 2025, every single-family dwelling in the service area must receive solid-waste collection, recyclables collection, and organic-waste collection. The agreement defines a broad list of accepted recyclables, including paper and cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, and plastics #1-7 (excluding expanded polystyrene foam), with the exact list subject to what the regional processing facilities accept. On top of the County's franchise rules, California's Mandatory Commercial Recycling Law (AB 341) requires businesses that generate a threshold amount of waste and multi-family properties of five or more units to arrange recycling service, and AB 1826 adds commercial organics recycling. The franchised hauler conducts annual compliance reviews of multi-family and commercial customers to verify they have the required recycling and organics services, consistent with state law and SB 1383. Contaminating recyclables with too much trash can trigger non-collection notices or contamination handling under the franchise. Because the County does not collect materials itself, residents and businesses sign up and resolve service questions through the franchised hauler, while the County and CalRecycle oversee compliance. Recyclables should be kept loose and clean in the recycling cart, not bagged in plastic, following the hauler's local guidelines.