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Santa Clara County · Building on your lot

Trash and recycling carts in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County's own rules on trash and recycling carts, with the code text for every value.

Each rule below links to the section of the Santa Clara County Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Clara County's code says

Santa Clara County code What Santa Clara County's code adds
Required collection service
  • must subscribe to the three-container collection service
    § B11-184 · code text
    Except as specified in Section B11-185, the refuse producer of each residential or nonresidential premises must subscribe to and pay for the three-container collection service made available by the permitted collector, including adequate refuse collection service.
  • You may self-haul your own refuse to an approved solid waste facility.
    Applies: Remote areas where the permitted collector cannot provide curbside or collection station service.
    § B11-185 · code text
    In remote areas where curbside or collection station service cannot be provided by the permitted collector, the producer may self-haul their own refuse to an approved solid waste facility with a frequency and mode of transport to preclude any nuisance conditions.
Sorting organics and green waste
  • Food and organic waste in green, recyclables in blue, everything else in gray; no gray materials in green or blue.
    § B11-189 · code text
    Producers shall place source separated green container organic waste, including food waste, in the green container; source separated recyclable refuse in the blue container; and gray container waste in the gray container.
  • Separate discarded materials according to the list of accepted materials.
    § B11-189 · code text
    Producers shall source separate discarded materials in accordance with the list of accepted materials for the County's three-container collection system.
When carts must come back
  • Within 24 hours after collection.
    § B11-189 · code text
    It is the responsibility of the occupant of the premises producing the refuse to remove all containers from the curb, roadside, or collection station within 24 hours after collection.
When carts may go to the curb
  • Not more than 24 hours before the scheduled collection time.
    § B11-189 · code text
    Containers must be placed for collection not more than 24 hours preceding the scheduled collection time.
Where carts are kept
  • Keep containers in a less conspicuous area of the premises.
    Applies: After removal from the curb, roadside or collection station.
    § B11-189 · code text
    Following removal, containers must be stored in a less conspicuous area of the premises so as not to create a nuisance to the occupants of neighboring premises.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

When can trash carts go out to the curb in Santa Clara County?

Santa Clara County's code: must subscribe to the three-container collection service (§ B11-184); You may self-haul your own refuse to an approved solid waste facility. (Remote areas where the permitted collector cannot provide curbside or collection station service.) (§ B11-185).

General information, not legal advice.

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Ask GoCodebook how Santa Clara County's trash and recycling carts rules apply to your situation and get an answer that cites the section.

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