San Antonio, TX Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

Sec. 14-17 sets up the city's residential organics program, which accepts leaves, tree trimmings no longer than the height of the cart, yard trimmings, brush, food scraps, and food-soiled paper and cardboard in a city-issued green container. Materials cannot go in loose plastic bags or plastic containers, even ones labeled 'compostable' or 'biodegradable'; brush must be cut down to fit loosely in the cart or bundled in a Kraft paper bag, and food scraps can be wrapped in newspaper or a paper bag instead. Participants get once-per-week collection on days the director designates, following the same placement and removal windows set in Sec.

14-10. Department staff may inspect green carts at their discretion, and a cart will not be serviced if it is contaminated with items like diapers, dead animals, pet waste, cigarette butts or ashes, household hazardous waste, or non-compostable material; a contaminated cart triggers written notice and, on repeat violations, a non-compliance contamination fee under Sec. 14-30 and possible removal from the program. Critically, Sec. 14-17(h) confirms participation is optional: residents who decline the program, or who are removed from it for chronic contamination, simply receive once-per-week refuse collection under Sec.

14-10's ordinary procedures and must surrender their green cart, which the city then picks up. There is no citywide requirement that a household separate food scraps or yard waste from its regular trash; the organics cart is an added service layered onto standard collection, not a substitute mandate.