Folsom, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling container
- Blue, loose (no bags)
- Garbage container
- Gray, lidded
- Organic waste container
- Green
- Container limits
- 96 gallons / 200 lbs
- Hazardous-item violation
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 mo
- Governing sections
- FMC 8.32.080, 8.32.090
Summary
Folsom Municipal Code 8.32.080(C) requires recyclables to go loose, never bagged, into the city-issued blue container, while Section 8.32.090 bars dirt, construction debris, appliances, tires and hazardous or medical waste from any city-provided can. Public Works enforces the standards, and dumping banned hazardous materials in a container can trigger a misdemeanor charge.
C. Recyclables shall be placed loosely (not in bags) in the standard plastic blue container provided by the city. D. All items shall be containerized with the lid completely closed for automated container services. Material shall not be packed tightly in the containers and must fall freely when the can is tipped. ... A. Unless otherwise permitted by written contract with the city, the following materials will not be collected in any city-provided container: 1. Dirt, rocks, sod, asphalt, brick, concrete, large metal objects, tile, landscaping bark, furniture; 2. Construction and demolition debris; 3. Appliances, tires, tree stumps;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
080 sets the containerization scheme for every Folsom household: garbage goes in the gray can, organic waste in the green can (food waste bagged in compostable bags, yard trimmings no thicker than four inches), and recyclables loose, not bagged, in the blue can. Lids must close completely for automated pickup, and nothing may be packed so tightly that it fails to fall freely when the truck tips the can; residential containers cap out at ninety-six gallons and two hundred pounds. 090 lists what the blue, green and gray cans can never hold: dirt, rocks, sod, asphalt, brick, concrete, large metal objects, construction and demolition debris, appliances, tires and tree stumps under subsection A; and liquids, hot ashes, coal, flammables, live ammunition, and household hazardous or hazardous waste under subsection B.
Subsection C bars clothing or bedding from homes with infectious disease exposure, explosives, poison, hazardous chemicals, offal or fecal matter, and subsection D routes medical or biohazardous waste to a licensed disposal company instead of curbside collection. 185.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 8.32.285, a first violation of the container rules carries a base penalty of fifty to one hundred dollars, a second violation one hundred to two hundred dollars, and a third violation two hundred fifty to five hundred dollars, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Putting hazardous materials, live ammunition or medical waste in a container, violating subsections B, C or D of Section 8.32.090, is instead charged as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put my recyclables in a plastic bag in Folsom?
What can't go in my Folsom recycling or garbage can?
Who enforces Folsom's recycling container rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Folsom
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How other cities in Sacramento County handle recycling rules.