San Mateo County, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling in minimum service
- Yes: weekly single-stream cart
- Cart colors
- Gray/black garbage, blue recycling, green compost
- Accepted (Recology)
- Paper, cardboard, glass, cans, plastic bottles/tubs
- Not accepted
- Black plastic, plastic bags, plastic packaging
- E-waste
- Illegal to landfill; must be recycled
- Commercial/multifamily
- AB 341 recycling + SB 1383 organics
Summary
Recycling is part of the mandatory minimum residential service under County Code Chapter 4.04, with single-stream recyclables collected weekly alongside garbage and organics. The County franchise color scheme is gray/black for garbage, blue for recycling, and green for compost. Electronics are banned from the trash, and businesses and multifamily properties must provide recycling containers under state law.
SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy Landfilled food and other organic waste rotting in landfills emits methane climate pollution contributing to California’s hotter summers, more frequent droughts, and more wildfires. 3 MILLION CARS worth of climate pollution will be cut by reaching SB 1383’s recycling and food rescue targets SB 1383 Progress Program News... California’s 1383 Implementation Progress Recycling Services and Edible Food Collection Complaints Portal Resources for Transfer/Processing Facilities Recordkeeping Requirements and Tools Article 2: Determination of Technologies that Constitute a Reduction in Landfill Disposal Elected Officials Web Page Departm
Full Breakdown
200 has the County pay the authorized hauler for collection of solid waste and single-stream targeted recyclable materials, and the standard residential service includes one recycling cart collected weekly. The franchise standard color scheme used in the RethinkWaste/SBWMA service area is gray or black for garbage, blue for recycling, and green for compost. Recology's accepted recyclables include paper, glass bottles, cardboard, cans, and plastic bottles, tubs, and containers, while items such as black plastic, plastic bags, and plastic packaging are excluded. Electronic waste is treated separately: in San Mateo County it is illegal to throw away electronics that contain circuitry or batteries classified as hazardous, so e-waste must be recycled rather than landfilled.
For commercial generators and multifamily properties, California's mandatory commercial recycling laws (AB 341) and, for organics, SB 1383 require subscribing to recycling service and providing properly labeled, color-coded containers and tenant or employee education. The County, as an SBWMA member jurisdiction, administers these requirements in the unincorporated area, including annual compliance reviews and contamination monitoring built into hauler agreements. Contamination of the recycling cart with garbage or non-recyclables can prompt corrective notices.
Violations & Fines
Disposing of electronics in the trash is prohibited, and contaminating recycling carts with non-recyclables can trigger correction notices. Businesses and multifamily complexes that fail to subscribe to recycling service or to provide proper containers and signage can be found non-compliant under state mandatory-recycling laws administered locally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is recycling required in unincorporated San Mateo County?
Can I throw old electronics in the trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Mateo County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Mateo County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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