Santa Cruz, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Home composting of yard trimmings and food scraps is permitted and promoted as a conservation practice; the County does not prohibit backyard compost bins for normal residential use. The significant regulation here is state-driven: California Senate Bill 1383 (effective January 1, 2022) requires every jurisdiction to provide and require organic-waste collection to cut methane from landfilled organics. In the unincorporated County, GreenWaste Recovery provides a source-separated organics stream (Green Cart) for food scraps and yard trimmings, and residents within the mandatory collection-service area are required to subscribe to collection that complies with SB 1383. Collected organics are composted at the County's Buena Vista Landfill. Residents must sort organic material into the correct containers; contamination of carts is discouraged. Households that compost or digest a substantial portion of their own organic waste at home may qualify for a state self-hauler/back-haul or waiver path, but the baseline rule is mandatory organics service. Yard debris generated from defensible-space and tree work can go to the green cart or be self-hauled to the landfill (oak material with sudden oak death should go to the landfill, not other properties, per County guidance).