San Ramon, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section B6-7 gives every property owner or occupant in San Ramon the right to remove discarded material generated on their own property and recycle, compost, or otherwise dispose of it themselves, in a clean and sanitary manner and in conformance with applicable law, without hiring the city's Authorized Collector to haul it away. This self-haul right sits inside the chapter that otherwise makes Authorized Collector service mandatory: composting your own yard trimmings and food scraps does not excuse the property from subscribing to an Adequate Level of Collection Services for solid waste, organics and recyclables under Section B6-2, unless the owner separately obtains a Director-approved waiver under B6-2(D).

In practice this means a resident can run a backyard compost pile or bin for material generated on-site without violating the chapter's rule against unauthorized haulers, but cannot use home composting alone as a reason to cancel trash and recycling service. The same chapter's nuisance rule in Section B6-6 still applies to a compost pile: no owner may let discarded material collect on a property in a way that creates a dangerous accumulation, fire hazard, threat to health and safety, blight, or nuisance, and burning any of it is barred except with the fire chief's permission.

Section B6-5 separately allows organic material to be fed to chickens and other animals kept on the same property where it is produced, provided the property stays sanitary to the City Manager's satisfaction and the animal-keeping itself complies with the City's other animal ordinances.