Mountain View, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- City Code Sec. 16.19(b), 16.20, 16.22
- Recyclables ownership
- Become city/hauler property once placed at curb
- Scavenging penalty
- Misdemeanor under Sec. 16.0
- Who may collect
- Resident, city, licensed hauler, or permitted nonprofit only
- Nonprofit fundraising collection
- Requires a recycling fund-raising permit
Summary
Mountain View's City Code makes curbside recyclables the property of the city or its licensed hauler the moment they're set out, and Section 16.22 bans anyone else from picking through, scattering, or hauling them off without the owner's consent. Violating Chapter 16 is a misdemeanor under Section 16.0, and only the resident, the city, its licensed operator, or a permitted nonprofit may touch an approved recycling container at the curb.
It shall be unlawful for any person to burn, break, destroy, scatter, scavenge, collect or take any recyclable materials without the consent of the owner of such materials. Consent to collection of such materials may be either oral or written, or may be manifested by a practice or arrangement between the owner and a donor or donors, whereby recyclable materials are placed in a particular place, area, or distinctive container, for regular collection by the donee or owner.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 16, Article I of the Mountain View City Code treats curbside recyclables as public property once they leave your hands. 19(b) states that recyclable material placed at the curb or other collection station becomes the property of the city or its authorized disposal service operator or a nonprofit organization permitted by the city and designated by the donor to receive it. 20 backs this up on the container side: only the resident of the premises, the city, a licensed disposal service operator, or a permitted nonprofit may remove an approved recycling container from a collection station, and any container supplied by the city or hauler remains that provider's property.
22 then closes the loop on the material itself, making it unlawful for anyone to burn, break, destroy, scatter, scavenge, collect or take any recyclable materials without the consent of the owner. The section allows consent to be informal: an established practice of leaving materials in a particular container or spot for a regular collector counts as consent. Mountain View's disposal service runs under a city-awarded license, contract, or exclusive franchise (Sec. 17); a resident hauling household recyclables to a disposal or recycling facility needs no license (Sec.
14); but a nonprofit wanting to collect recyclables for fundraising must first obtain a recycling fund-raising permit from the director of finance (Sec. 16). 0.
Violations & Fines
Taking, scattering, or damaging recyclables left at the curb without the owner's or hauler's consent violates Section 16.22, and any violation of Chapter 16, including this one, is a misdemeanor under Section 16.0. Removing an approved recycling container itself, not just its contents, without authorization is a separate violation of Section 16.20. The city's licensed disposal service operator and Public Works can report scavenging, and each incident of unauthorized collection can draw its own citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to take recyclables out of someone's bin in Mountain View?
Who owns my recycling once I put it at the curb?
Can a charity collect recyclables for a fundraiser in Mountain View?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
California rules heatmap·Compare Mountain View to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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How other cities in Santa Clara County handle recycling rules.