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

The Irvine Municipal Code treats yard waste as part of the same regulated solid waste stream as household trash. Sec. 6-7-101 defines 'Yard waste' to mean 'all leaves, grass cuttings and shrubs that accompany routine household or property maintenance functions,' and under Sec. 6-7-301 every premises generating solid waste, including yard waste, must either subscribe to the City's exclusive franchised hauler or register as a self-hauler. Generally, only the franchised contractor or a registered self-hauler may collect solid waste within the City; Sec. 6-7-601(I) makes it 'unlawful, and a public nuisance,' for anyone else to do so.

The code carves out a specific exception for landscaping professionals at Sec. 6-7-601(I)(4): a gardener or landscaper may collect, transport and dispose of a customer's yard waste 'as an incidental part of the gardening or landscaping services provided to its customers, rather than as a hauling service,' as long as the material isn't picked up by a third party hired mainly to collect and transport it, and the landscaper still complies with City and State rules on handling such material. In practice, this means Irvine homeowners can either set out grass clippings and leaves for the franchised hauler's organic waste cart under the standard collection program, or have their gardener remove yard debris directly without that gardener needing a separate self-hauler registration, provided the hauling stays incidental to the landscaping job itself.