Residential

Residential facilities including single family homes, apartments and condominiums must now meet certain recycling requirements.

• Single Family Home Residents
• Apartment & Condominium Residents
• Buildings with Both Residential and Commercial Units (mixed use)
• Why Recycle?
• Enforcement
• Exemptions (PDF: 65K)
• Waste Reduction Tips
• Resources

Single Family Home Residents

On January 1, 2008

• Residents who have a City of San Diego blue recycling cart are now required to separate recyclable materials from other solid waste and deposit the recyclable materials in the blue cart. Learn more about curbside recycling.
  
  
• Residents who only have a City of San Diego black refuse cart may request a blue recycling cart by calling 858-694-7000. Availability is dependent upon current inventory.

On February 18, 2008

• Single family residences whose trash and/or recyclables are collected by a private, franchise hauler must participate in a curbside recycling program. Single family residences must contact their homeowner's association franchise hauler, or a recycler to set up the program for their home.

Apartment & Condominium Residents

On January 1, 2008

• Apartments and Condominiums Serviced by the City of San Diego
  
  
  • Apartments and condominiums with City of San Diego blue recycling carts are required to separate recyclable materials from other solid waste and deposit the recyclable materials in the blue cart.
  
  
  
  • Facilities with only black trash carts may request blue recycling carts by calling 858-694-7000. Availability depends on current inventory.

On February 18, 2008

• All apartment and condominium complexes with 100 residential units or more.

On January 1, 2009

• All apartment and condominium complexes with 50 residential units or more.

On January 1, 2010

Requirements for Apartment and Condominium Complexes

• Property managers and owners are responsible for providing:
  
  
  • Recycling services including:
    • Collection of recyclables at least twice a month
    • Collection of at least plastic and glass bottles and jars, paper, newspaper, metal containers, and cardboard
    • Designated recycling collection areas
    • Appropriate recycling containers and signage (PDF: 56K)


• Education including:
  • Types of materials accepted in recycling program
  • Location of the recycling containers
  • Tenant's responsibility to comply with the City ordinance
    (Education must be provided annually to all tenants, upon move-in, and when there are changes to the program.)
  
  
  
• How to set up an apartment or condo recycling program
• Types of Containers
• Successful Apartment and Condominium Recycling Programs
• Reporting
• Educational Toolkit
  
  Residents are responsible for separating recyclables from trash and depositing each in the appropriate provided containers.

Buildings with Both Residential and Commercial Units (mixed use)

• Buildings with both residential and commercial units must follow the requirements for whichever occupies the majority of the building square footage. For example, if the majority of the building's square footage is devoted to residential use, the apartment and condominium requirements must be followed. If the majority of the building's square footage is devoted to commercial use, the business requirements must be followed.