Sacramento Municipal Code Art. IV Organic Waste Service

A. The purpose of this article is to mandate organic waste collection services and street sweeping services to protect the public safety, health, and welfare; to ensure that the city continues to meet state-mandated diversion requirements; to reduce landfill dependency; to conserve resources; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and to advance the city's ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable city.

B. The city council finds and determines as follows:

1. The collection and disposal of organic waste and street sweeping, protect the public health, safety, and welfare, by requiring that the accumulation, collection, removal, and disposal of organic waste and street sweeping, be handled in a manner that provides for the greatest good and the least possible inconvenience and impact to the city and city residents;

2. The California Integrated Waste Management Act, commonly known as AB 939 (California Public Resources Code Section 40000 et seq.), requires local jurisdictions to divert a minimum of 50 percent of discarded materials away from disposal in landfills;

3. Senate Bill 1383, the Short-lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016, requires the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to develop regulations to reduce organic waste in landfills as a source of methane. The regulations place requirements on public agencies to support achievement of statewide organic waste disposal reduction targets;

4. Public agencies are required to adopt enforceable mechanisms to implement relevant provisions of Senate Bill 1383;

5. The collection of organic waste diverts organic waste away from disposal in landfills, and is a critical component of the city's ongoing measures to meet the mandatory diversion requirement imposed by state law, and without an effective organic waste collection and disposal program the city would not be able to comply with this requirement; and

6. In addition, providing for the collection of organic waste protects and promotes the public health, safety, and welfare by reducing the city's dependence on landfills by disposing of organic waste outside of landfills, and thereby reducing costs and environmental effects associated with landfill use. (Ord. 2023-0024 § 22; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

A. Except as provided otherwise in this chapter, all owners of residential property and residential mixed-use property in the city shall subscribe to organic waste service provided by the city in the manner and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 13.12.

B. All owners of residential property and residential mixed-use property in the city, including vacant lots, shall subscribe to street sweeping service if the parcel has concrete curbs and gutters and is contiguous to a public street as provided by the city in the manner and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 13.12. (Ord. 2023-0024 § 23; Ord. 2017-0006 § 4; Ord. 2013-0012 § 4; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

Subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and other applicable provisions of this chapter, the minimum level of organic waste collection service and street sweeping for residential property is as follows:

A. Each property shall have at least one organic waste container unless otherwise granted an exemption as authorized by this chapter.

B. The frequency of organic waste collection service and street sweeping shall be determined by the solid waste manager, consistent with any service level requirements approved or adopted by the city council. (Ord. 2023-0024 § 24; Ord. 2021-0031 § 3; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

A. Yard waste.

1. No person may place, deposit, dump, or accumulate, or cause to be placed, deposited, dumped, or accumulated, any yard waste on or in any street, public right-of-way or easement, gutter, curb, or sidewalk within the city, except where it is expressly authorized under this chapter.

2. Customers may place and deposit yard waste in the streets for collection service in connection with the seasonal loose-in-the-street collection service, subject to any requirements and limitations established by the solid waste manager.

3. Yard waste deposited in the streets for collection service pursuant to this section must not:

a. Exceed two cubic yards per parcel;

b. Be placed on any sidewalk, within a set of undulations, or in a manner that impedes traffic or drainage, or creates a hazard to public health, safety, or welfare; or

c. Be placed in the streets for collection service earlier than seven days prior to the scheduled collection day.

B. Food waste.

1. No person shall place food waste on or in any street, public right-of-way or easement, gutter, curb, or sidewalk.

2. No person shall place, deposit, dump, or accumulate any food waste in the yard waste deposited in the street for collection service. (Ord. 2026-0003 § 6; Ord. 2023-0024 § 25; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

Organic waste from commercial properties shall not be deposited in the streets or in city-provided organic waste containers without obtaining the prior written authorization of the solid waste manager, subject to any limitations and requirements established by the solid waste manager. In authorizing the deposit of yard waste in the streets from commercial properties, the solid waste manager shall determine and specify the minimum level of yard waste collection service, and the time, manner, and place of the deposit. Owners of any commercial property in the city, including vacant lots, shall subscribe to street sweeping service in the manner and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 13.12, if the parcel has concrete curbs and gutters and is contiguous to a public street. (Ord. 2023-0024 § 26; Ord. 2021-0031 § 4; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

A. No person shall place garbage or recyclables in organic waste containers. Customers shall source-separate food waste from garbage or recycling generated on the property.

B. Subsection A does not apply if the customer has been granted an exemption from organic waste collection services pursuant to this chapter. Customers who have been granted an exemption from organic waste collection services may place organic waste only in the garbage container.

C. Nothing in this section prohibits a customer from preventing or reducing waste generation, managing food or yard waste on site, or using a community compositing site pursuant to section 18984.9(c) of title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.

D. Any person who violates this section is guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine in accordance with California Government Code section 36900. (Ord. 2026-0003 § 7; Ord. 2023-0024 § 27; Ord. 2021-003 1 § 5; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)

A customer may seek an exemption from organic waste collection services pursuant to waivers authorized in section 18984.11 of title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. An application seeking an exemption shall be submitted on a form provided by the city. The solid waste manager shall determine whether to approve the exemption, which may include conducting a site inspection of the property. (Ord. 2023-0024 § 28; Ord. 2021-0031 § 6; Ord. 2014-0010 § 2; Ord. 2013-0012 § 5; Ord. 2013-0009 § 3)