Elk Grove, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

080(A) declares that recyclable material set out for collection by the residential hauler becomes the property of the residential hauler, the City, the City's authorized recyclable materials collector, or a person the owner or occupant has expressly authorized, and only those parties hold the exclusive right to that material. Subsection (B) lets the City approve additional locations from time to time as authorized recyclable drop-off points. 040(A) similarly declares that all recyclable materials placed in solid waste storage containers are owned by, and the responsibility of, the authorized hauler, and no person may collect recyclables placed in those containers without the authorized hauler's permission.

010(B), it is unlawful for any person to engage in the business of collecting, removing, or transporting recyclable materials, or to organize, direct, or sponsor such collection, unless that person is an authorized hauler under the City's franchise system. These ownership rules exist because Elk Grove's franchise structure and its recycling diversion obligations under state law depend on a predictable stream of recyclable tonnage reaching the City's authorized processors; informal scavengers pulling cans and bottles out of blue containers undercut that system. The rule does not stop a resident or business from donating or selling its own source-separated recyclables to a buyer of its choice before setting the material out for collection.