Riverside County, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RivCo Code § 8.136.050
- Applies to
- Unincorporated area only
- System
- Green, blue, gray containers
- Waivers
- Self-haul, de minimis, physical-space
- Enforcer
- Dept. of Environmental Health
Summary
Unincorporated Riverside County residents and businesses must use the county's three-container system, separating organic waste, recyclables, and trash, unless granted a self-haul or de minimis waiver.
All residential properties in the unincorporated portions of the county shall participate in the county's three-container system for source separated organic materials, source separated recyclable materials, and waste collection services, except those residents that meet the self-hauler requirements in section 8.136.080 of this chapter. Participation in the collection programs requires that residents place organic waste, including food waste, in the green container; source separated recyclable materials in the blue container; and all other waste in the gray container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Riverside County Code § 8.136.050 requires every residential and commercial property in the unincorporated county to participate in the three-container collection system: green containers for organic waste including food scraps, blue containers for source-separated recyclables like glass, metal, plastic and cardboard, and gray containers for remaining trash. Mixing gray-container waste into the green or blue container violates the section. The Department of Environmental Health administers the program and can grant self-haul, de minimis, physical-space, or collection-frequency waivers under § 8.136.080. The rule does not reach Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, or the county's other incorporated cities, which run their own recycling programs.
Violations & Fines
Violating the three-container rules is enforceable through administrative or criminal citations under Ordinance No. 725, plus abatement-cost recovery at the director's discretion, and repeat violations can be declared a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to separate recyclables in unincorporated Riverside County?
Does this rule apply inside the city of Riverside or Temecula?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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