Apple Valley, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Green container
- for landscape and pruning waste
- Commercial rule
- § 6.20.200(b) four-container system
- Contamination warning
- after 3 consecutive occurrences
- Waiver option
- de minimis, under 20 gal/week
- On-site option
- composting allowed under § 6.20.190(c)
Summary
Grass clippings, tree trimmings and other landscape debris are 'organic waste' under Apple Valley's SB 1383 program and belong in the green container, not the black trash cart. Municipal Code § 6.20.200(b) requires every commercial and multifamily generator to sort green material, landscape and pruning waste into the green container alongside food scraps, recyclables and remaining trash.
(b)Shall participate in the Town's four-container collection services by placing source separated food waste in brown or beige container, all source separated green material, landscape and pruning waste in the green container, all recyclable materials in the blue container, and all remaining non-organic solid waste into the black container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The Town folds yard waste into its broader organic-waste diversion program adopted under Ordinance No. 551 to satisfy the state's SB 1383 mandate, administered locally by the Town's contracted hauler and monitored by CalRecycle. 200(a): a brown or beige container for food waste, a green container for source-separated green material, landscape and pruning waste, a blue container for recyclables, and a black container for everything else. 310. 010(tt), expressly includes landscape and pruning waste, in the green container rather than the trash. 210(b); both waivers run five years and are reviewed by the Town Manager's designee. 190(c).
Violations & Fines
The Town Enforcement Official, the Town Manager or a designee, inspects containers and hauler loads under § 6.20.310 and may issue a Notice of Violation for a contaminated green container after observing prohibited materials on more than three consecutive occasions, per § 6.20.320(e). A Notice of Violation gives the generator 30 days to come into compliance under § 6.20.320(f); unresolved violations can be pursued as a civil action, misdemeanor or infraction, including cost recovery in Superior Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put grass clippings and tree trimmings in my black trash cart in Apple Valley?
Does every business have to get a green waste container?
Can I compost yard waste myself instead of using the green cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apple Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Apple Valley to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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