Apple Valley, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Organic-waste handling in Apple Valley is driven by California's SB 1383, the statewide short-lived climate pollutant law requiring jurisdictions to divert organic waste from landfills (targets of a 75 percent reduction in organic disposal and 20 percent more edible-food recovery by 2025). Burrtec is the Town's franchised hauler, and the Town provides a green barrel for organics. Accepted materials include bagged food waste, expired food, food-soiled paper, grass clippings, leaves, brush, shrub trimmings, small branches, twigs, untreated wood, dead plants, flowers, and weeds. Because SB 1383 requires participation in an organics-collection program, residents must keep organic waste separated from trash and recycling, and the Town monitors barrels for contamination. At roughly 75,800 residents, Apple Valley is well above the low-population/rural threshold for SB 1383 exemptions (CalRecycle rural waivers target very small or high-elevation jurisdictions), so the full organics-collection mandate applies. Backyard composting is encouraged as a complementary option but is not required; residents who compost at home can reduce what they set out. The Town also distributes free compost or mulch to the community, closing the loop on collected green waste.