Tempe, AZ Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- Only recyclables allowed in recycling containers
- Contamination examples
- Hazardous waste, garbage, non-collectibles
- Nonparticipant defined
- Customer opted out of recycling program
- Enforcement
- NOV, civil fines, possible impoundment
- Repeat offense
- 3 violations/year becomes a misdemeanor
Summary
Tempe bans putting anything but recyclables into a recycling container and bans leaving material outside one. City Code Section 28-74 backs the City's definition of 'contamination,' the deposit of garbage or non-collectible items in a green organics or recycling bin, which can bring code enforcement.
No person shall place any materials other than recyclables in any recycling container. No person shall leave any materials outside of a recycling container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 28-74 states plainly that no person shall place any materials other than recyclables in any recycling container, and no person shall leave any materials outside of one. The chapter's definitions section, 28-1, gives that rule teeth: 'Recyclables' means solid waste currently accepted by the City as recyclable and separated from other solid waste, and 'Contamination' means materials placed in a green organics or recycling container including, but not limited to, hazardous waste, residential or commercial non-collectibles, garbage, or other material not designated as green organics or recyclables.
The same section defines a 'Nonparticipant' as a residential or commercial customer in an area where the City's recycling program operates who is not taking part, whether by choice or by City action, which matters because non-participants are not subject to the recycling-specific contamination rule for their own container, even though Section 28-2's general property-maintenance duty, requiring real property be kept free of garbage, trash, contamination and recyclables, still applies to them. Recycling containers that are contaminated or otherwise out of compliance can be impounded under Section 28-15, and a resident or business that keeps violating faces the same escalating penalty structure as any other Chapter 28 violation.
Violations & Fines
Placing garbage, hazardous waste or other non-collectible material in a recycling container, or dumping trash beside one, violates Section 28-74 and can draw a notice of violation under Section 28-12, civil penalties set by City Council resolution, and abatement costs billed to the responsible party. Three violations within twelve months become a misdemeanor under Section 28-13, prosecuted in Tempe Municipal Court, and a repeatedly contaminated container can be impounded under Section 28-15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I throw regular trash in my Tempe recycling bin?
What if I don't want to participate in Tempe's recycling program?
Can I leave items next to a recycling container instead of inside it?
What happens after repeated recycling contamination violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle recycling requirements.