Hawthorne, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

020(A). 070(B) carves out a specific list of materials the authorized hauler does not have to collect, and item 4 on that list is yard waste removed by a gardener, landscaper or tree-trimming company as an incidental part of the total service they already provide. That means a homeowner who pays a gardening crew to haul away clippings, branches and leaves is not separately violating the mandatory-hauler rule for that material. 020(D) provides a second, narrower relief valve: owners of premises vacant for six or more consecutive months, where only incidental yard waste such as clippings, branches or leaves has accumulated and has been promptly removed by gardening personnel, may apply to the city's public works director for an exemption of up to twelve months, renewable if the property stays vacant.

The request must be a declaration signed under penalty of perjury confirming ownership and vacancy, and the owner must notify the director in writing the moment the property becomes occupied again. 010's incorporated definitions classify it as 'organic materials' that must be source separated into the organics container rather than mixed with solid waste, consistent with the SB 1383 statewide organics-recycling mandate the chapter implements.