Fullerton, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

FMC § 5.14.010 defines RECYCLABLE MATERIAL broadly, covering glass, newsprint, aluminum, cardboard and certain plastics and metals capable of being recycled, and folds recycling into the same solid waste handling system the franchisee runs. Section 5.14.060(C) then makes participation compulsory rather than optional: any person or entity subscribed for franchisee service commits an unlawful act and a public nuisance by failing to take part in the recycling program offered, including by putting waste in a container not designed for that type of material. Section 5.14.060(D) adds a second, parallel duty to actually follow the program's terms once a customer is enrolled, again treating noncompliance, such as cross-contaminating a recycling cart, as an unlawful nuisance.

The code separately guards against theft of curbside recyclables. Under § 5.14.060(K), it is unlawful for anyone other than the franchisee to take, remove or appropriate solid waste, including recyclable material, once it has been placed in a street or alley for collection, regardless of what type of bin, cart or box holds it. That anti-scavenging rule exists because recyclables collected at the curb generate revenue the franchisee and city rely on to fund the program, so an outside party pulling cans or cardboard from a cart before the truck arrives is committing the same offense as taking any other resident's trash. Registered self-haulers carry their own recycling duty as well: § 5.14.080(F) requires them to recycle or divert recyclable material consistent with industry standards and state law, separate from their organic waste obligations.