Chino Hills, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- CHMC § 13.20.051(B)(1)
- Recyclables list
- Paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, plastics #1-7
- Sorting bin
- Blue container
- Must be
- Separated from organics and trash
- Repeat contamination
- 3x in 6 months triggers fee
- Penalty
- $100-$500 escalating administrative citation
Summary
Chino Hills requires residential and commercial generators to source-separate recyclables such as paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, steel cans and numbered plastics into the blue container under CHMC § 13.20.051(B)(1), tracking the itemized definition of 'recyclable materials' in § 13.20.010. Materials must stay separated from organic waste and trash to qualify.
13.20.010 "Recyclable materials": "Recyclable materials" or "recyclables" means those discarded materials that the generators set out in blue containers for collection for the purpose of recycling by the franchisee and that exclude excluded waste. No discarded materials shall be considered recyclable materials unless such material is separated from organic materials, and solid waste. Recyclable materials shall include, but not be limited to: newspaper...; mixed paper...; chipboard; corrugated cardboard; glass containers of any color...; aluminum...; steel, tin, or bi-metal cans; mixed plastics such as plastic containers (no. one (1) to seven (7)), except expanded Polystyrene (EPS)...; film plastic (when clean, dry, and contained inside of a plastic bag); dry cell household batteries when placed on the recycling cart in a sealed heavy-duty plastic bag. 13.20.051(B)(1): Generator shall place source separated recyclable materials in the blue container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
20's Integrated Waste Management System. 010 defines 'recyclable materials' broadly to include newspaper, mixed paper such as office paper, magazines and paperboard, chipboard, corrugated cardboard, glass containers of any color, aluminum beverage containers and scrap metal, steel and tin cans, plastics numbered one through seven (excluding expanded polystyrene), HDPE, LDPE and PET bottles, clean dry film plastic bagged separately, and dry cell batteries sealed in a heavy-duty plastic bag. Critically, the definition specifies that 'no discarded materials shall be considered recyclable materials unless such material is separated from organic materials, and solid waste,' so recyclables mixed into the trash cart lose their status under the ordinance.
051(B)(1) puts the sorting duty on residential generators directly: place source separated recyclable materials in the blue container, and do not put gray/black-cart materials into the blue container. 052(D). 080(A)(1).
Violations & Fines
Failing to separate recyclables from trash, or contaminating a blue container with prohibited materials, is enforced under § 13.20.340: the City issues a notice of violation, and a generator found with prohibited contaminants more than three times in six months can be assessed a contamination processing fee. Administrative citation fines run $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or later violation within the review period.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I put in my Chino Hills blue recycling cart?
Does it count as recycling if it's mixed in with my trash?
Are businesses required to provide recycling bins for customers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle recycling requirements.