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

Recycling in unincorporated Calaveras County is shaped by both County Code Chapter 8.12 and California state law. Section 8.12.050 directs that all persons and businesses minimize waste generation and divert recyclable materials from the solid waste stream to comply with state law and preserve resources. The code protects the recycling system: 8.12.110 prohibits theft of recyclable materials, 8.12.100 prohibits unauthorized tampering with containers, and 8.12.230 makes it a violation for a permitted hauler to bury properly prepared recyclable material in a landfill or dispose of it where it cannot be reused. Properly prepared recyclables may be stored in open containers under 8.12.080. Operationally, Cal-Waste provides curbside recycling to customers, and the county operates a single-stream (mixed) recyclables program in which plastics marked 1 through 7, glass, jars, newspaper, aluminum, tin, plastic bottles, paperboard, magazines, and office/junk mail can be placed in the same container. The county also accepts CRV beverage containers, electronics, used oil, mattresses, and other materials at its facilities. For mandatory recycling, the state's AB 341 requires businesses that generate four or more cubic yards of waste per week (and multifamily complexes of five-plus units) to arrange recycling service; this is a state mandate that applies in the unincorporated county.