Mission Viejo, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

505 requires every single-family organic waste generator, unless they qualify as a self-hauler under the same chapter, to subscribe to the city's collection service for all organic waste generated on the property. The city retains the right to review the number and size of a household's containers to confirm adequate capacity and proper separation, and can require a resident to adjust their service level on request. The sorting mandate itself is explicit: source separated recyclable materials go in the blue container, source separated green container organic waste (including food waste) goes in the green container, and everything else goes in the gray container; residents may not place gray-container material into either the green or blue container.

This chapter implements the state's SB 1383 organic waste diversion mandate, and ownership of anything placed at the curb for recycling collection passes to the solid waste collector by operation of state law once set out, per Sec. 225 (citing Public Resources Code § 41950(c)). Residents remain free to sell or donate recyclable material outside the franchised system under Sec. 226, but material that is mixed with solid waste is treated as discarded and becomes regulated recyclable solid waste subject to the chapter. Commercial businesses and multi-family dwellings of five units or more face parallel, more detailed three-container obligations under Sec. 510, including labeling, contamination inspection and tenant education duties that single-family households do not carry.