Butte County, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum diversion
- 25% of collected solid waste annually
- Compliance certification
- Annual report to the county
- Recycling reports
- Quarterly, due 30 days after quarter
- Enforcement trigger
- License review/revocation for non-compliance
- Board authority
- Can raise percentage or set via franchise
Summary
Butte County Code section 31-35(A) makes every licensed hauler divert at least twenty-five percent of the solid waste it collects annually from landfill disposal, with the Board of Supervisors free to raise that floor or set different targets through individual franchise agreements. Haulers back the number up with an annual compliance certification and quarterly recycling reports to the county.
A.Licensee shall implement programs to divert from disposal a minimum of twenty-five (25) percent of the solid waste it collects annually. The licensed hauler shall submit an annual compliance report certifying that it has met the minimum diversion requirement programs and the amount and type of solid waste that the licensed hauler diverted from disposal in that prior year. The Board may review and/or change the minimum solid waste diversion percentages annually. The Board may also stipulate diversion requirements in franchise agreements. ... B.Reporting. At a minimum, each licensed hauler shall prepare and submit quarterly recycling reports, due by the thirtieth day following the end of the previous quarter (for example, April 30 for the quarter January—March), on a form approved by the county SWM.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
The twenty-five percent floor is a licensing condition, not a suggestion: Section 31-35(A) ties it to obtaining, maintaining or renewing a hauler's county license. The diversion percentage is calculated from a formula written into the code itself: total solid waste generation equals the tons disposed plus the tons of recyclable materials and organic waste diverted or recycled, and the diversion percentage equals the diverted/recycled tonnage divided by that total. Haulers certify their results in an annual compliance report and, under Section 31-35(B), file quarterly recycling reports with the county's Solid Waste Manager by the thirtieth day after each quarter ends, breaking out the weight of waste collected and materials recycled by type and by jurisdiction. The Board of Supervisors retains authority to review or raise the minimum diversion percentage annually and can also negotiate stricter diversion requirements directly into a hauler's franchise agreement, meaning the twenty-five percent figure is a countywide floor rather than a ceiling.
Violations & Fines
A hauler that fails to submit the required compliance and quarterly reports, or fails to achieve the current diversion requirement, faces license review and possible revocation under Section 31-39.4, which expressly ties enforcement back to the performance standards of Section 31-35.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a recycling requirement for Butte County trash haulers?
How does the county check that haulers are actually recycling?
What happens if a hauler misses the 25% diversion target?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
California rules heatmap·Compare Butte County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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