Yorba Linda, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- YLMC § 8.20.070(C)-(D)
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Infraction fines
- $100 first, $200 second, $500 third
- Container set-out window
- 4 p.m. day before to 8 p.m. collection day
- Scavenging recyclables
- Unlawful under § 8.20.070(H) and (L)
- Enforcing agency
- City Manager or City Attorney
Summary
In the City of Yorba Linda, any residence or business that subscribes to franchised solid waste service must actually use the recycling program the franchisee provides. Yorba Linda Municipal Code Section 8.20.070(C) makes it a public nuisance to skip that recycling program, and Section 8.20.070(D) separately bars putting the wrong material in a franchisee's containers.
It is unlawful, and a public nuisance, for any person or entity that subscribes for solid waste handling services with a franchisee to fail to participate in the recycling and organic waste programs offered by the franchisee. ... It is unlawful, and a public nuisance, for any person or entity that subscribes for solid waste handling services with a franchisee to fail to comply with the terms of any recycling and organic waste programs offered by the franchisee, including by placing solid waste in containers of a type or nature not designed for the type of waste in question.
Full Breakdown
Yorba Linda contracts with a franchised solid waste hauler, and every residential or commercial subscriber must use the recycling program that franchisee offers as part of its service. Yorba Linda Municipal Code Section 8.20.070(C) declares it unlawful and a public nuisance for a subscriber to fail to participate in the recycling and organic waste programs offered by the franchisee, while Section 8.20.070(D) separately bars failing to comply with those programs' terms, including placing waste in a container of a type not designed for it, such as putting trash in a recycling cart.
Containers themselves must stay sealed and watertight under Section 8.20.050, may only be set out after 4:00 p.m. the evening before collection and must be pulled back in by 8:00 p.m. on collection day, and single-family containers must be stored out of public view except on collection day. Section 8.20.070(H) also makes it unlawful for anyone other than the franchisee to collect discarded recyclable material placed for pickup, closing off scavenging of recycling bins, with narrow exceptions for self-haulers, contractors removing their own construction debris and gardeners removing yard waste they generated.
Enforcement runs through Section 8.20.121: violations are chargeable as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000.00 fine and six months in jail, or as an infraction with fines of $100.00, $200.00 and $500.00 for a first, second and third violation within a year, and every violation is independently declared a public nuisance subject to abatement with recoverable attorneys' fees.
Violations & Fines
Refusing to use the franchisee's recycling program, or contaminating it with the wrong waste type, is a public nuisance under Section 8.20.070(C)-(D) and can be charged as a misdemeanor, up to $1,000.00 and six months in jail, or an infraction starting at $100.00 and rising to $500.00 for repeat violations within a year. Taking recyclables from someone else's bin at curbside is a separate unlawful act under Section 8.20.070(L) and (H).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I opt out of the recycling program if I subscribe to trash service in Yorba Linda?
What if I put the wrong material in my recycling cart?
Is it legal for someone else to take items out of my recycling bin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yorba Linda
California rules heatmap·Compare Yorba Linda to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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