Santa Rosa, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

070(A) of the Santa Rosa City Code makes residential recycling mandatory rather than optional. Subsections (A)(1)-(3) separate the three required streams: garbage in the garbage cart, recyclable materials only in the recycling cart, and organic waste generated on-site in the organic waste cart. Subsection (A)(4) automatically enrolls every service recipient in all three services and requires sorting into the correct container; multifamily developments, mobile home parks, and commercial premises face parallel sorting and container-placement duties under subsections (B) through (D). Under subsection (E)(1), commingling organic waste with any other waste stream is expressly prohibited, and a business or multifamily property owner whose garbage goes uncollected because it contained recyclables or organics is responsible for separating it out again before the next pickup; letting the unseparated garbage pile up is itself a violation.

080 and deliver them to a facility that actually recovers the material, not a landfill. 250: the City Manager or the City's solid waste franchisee can inspect containers, including by remote monitoring of contamination, and can enter commercial and multifamily collection areas (but not private residential units) to confirm compliance. 2 of SB 1383 for chapter violations, with fine amounts set by City Council resolution. 260, capped at 50 percent of the amount due.