San Ramon, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Recycling in San Ramon operates under the Waste Management franchise and is governed by California's Mandatory Commercial Recycling (AB 341), Mandatory Organics Recycling (AB 1826, SB 1383), and the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, 2022). Residents place accepted materials loose (not bagged) in the blue cart. Accepted items: newspaper, mixed paper, junk mail, magazines, cardboard (flattened, sized to fit in cart), paperboard, glass bottles and jars (any color, labels OK), aluminum and steel cans (rinsed), and rigid plastic containers with resin codes #1 (PET), #2 (HDPE), #3 (PVC, limited), #4 (LDPE rigid), #5 (PP), and #7 (other rigid). Rejected items: plastic bags and film (return clean film to grocery stores), polystyrene foam (#6), food-soiled paper or pizza boxes with grease, shredded paper (bag separately or compost), tanglers (hoses, cords, string lights), needles, batteries, and electronics. Contamination is a growing problem statewide as China's National Sword policy eliminated most export markets for mixed plastics; WM invests in optical sorting at its Davis Street facility but contaminated loads can still be landfilled. Residents should rinse containers, keep items loose, and consult WM's "What Goes Where" tool. Commercial businesses and multi-family properties are required to subscribe to recycling service under AB 341 (4+ cubic yards weekly solid waste) and organics under SB 1383. San Ramon is a CalRecycle Tier 2 jurisdiction and reports recovery data annually.