Glendale, AZ Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 18-9(a) of Glendale's solid waste chapter starts from a general prohibition: no owner, operator, or occupant may allow garbage, trash, refuse, other solid waste, or recyclable material to accumulate or remain on their property, streets, sidewalks, alleys, or rights-of-way unless it's managed under applicable health codes and city, county, state, and federal rules. Within that same subsection, the code then exempts organic yard waste from the accumulation ban specifically for composting: leaves, grass clippings, and similar organic yard waste may be accumulated and stored for composting purposes under whatever circumstances, conditions, or rules the Administrator establishes.

The section separately exempts properties operating as licensed composting facilities, materials recovery facilities, or similar recycling operations, provided the property is properly zoned and holds all required city, county, state, or federal permits. Because the composting exemption is tied to conditions the Administrator may set rather than fixed bin dimensions or setbacks written into the code itself, residents composting yard waste should confirm current Administrator rules before piling material up. Unauthorized accumulation outside this composting exemption exposes the property owner, operator, or occupant to enforcement as an environmental nuisance under the broader authority in Section 18-4, on top of the accumulation violation itself.