Solid Waste & Recycling

Disposing of Solid Waste

Visit the Solid Waste Services page to find out how to discard of various types of materials and to learn about the City's contact with CR&R Waste Services.


 Illegal Dumping

In the State of California, it is required by law that you cannot dispose of certain types of materials in the trash. Please visit the Illegal Dumping Materials page for more information.


Benefits of Recycling

Recycling is the process of collecting and reprocessing materials that have been discarded and are considered waste. The City of Rancho Santa Margarita will give you 5 good reasons to recycle and help the City to increase its diversion rate:

  1. Recycling saves energy. 
    • Manufacturers can use recycled material instead of raw material. It will save energy consumption.
  2. Recycling reduces landfills. 
    • By recycling, we reduce the need to create more landfill near our houses.
  3. Recycling preserves our resources and protects wildlife. 
    • For instance, paper recycling alone saves millions of trees every year.
  4. Recycling is good for the environment. 
    • Products made from recycled materials use less water, create less pollution, and use less energy.
  5. Recycling helps our climate problems. 
    • Recycling produces considerably less carbon, which reduces the amount of unhealthy greenhouse gas emissions.

Organic/Food Waste Recycling

Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) went into effect January 2022, which now requires all residents, multi-family properties and commercial businesses to implement an organic waste program. For more information on SB 1383 and how to utilize your implemented programs, visit the Organics Recycling page.

Recyclable Materials

You will find a list of materials that you can place into residential/commercial recycling containers on the Recyclable Materials page. The following list contains the types of materials appropriate to recycle. Please contact CR&R Waste Services for any specific questions about recycling at 949-728-0446.