Ventura, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Home composting is permitted and encouraged for unincorporated Ventura County residents, who can turn kitchen scraps and yard trimmings into a soil amendment for their gardens. At the same time, California's Senate Bill (SB) 1383 mandates organic-waste diversion to cut methane, and the County implements it through Public Works (Watershed Protection / Integrated Waste Management). Ventura County Ordinance No. 4590, approved December 7, 2021, regulates solid-waste collection and recycling in the unincorporated areas to carry out these state requirements. Curbside organics collection for unincorporated residents became effective January 1, 2022, covering food scraps, yard/green waste, non-hazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper. Athens Services and E.J. Harrison & Sons provide collection in unincorporated areas, and residents may request free indoor kitchen food-scrap pails as well as free compost and mulch. Commercial generators, including multifamily complexes with five or more units, must arrange organic-waste collection unless they qualify for a waiver or register as self-haulers. Backyard composting is promoted as a way to reduce waste, but the County's published SB 1383 materials do not treat home composting as a blanket exemption from the mandatory collection service. Residents who compost at home should keep their organics cart available for materials they cannot compost themselves and follow Public Works guidance.