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

020 of the Municipal Code defines "Green Waste" for purposes of Lancaster's organic waste program as tree trimmings, wood stumps, small pieces of wood, grass cuttings, dead plants, leaves, branches, flowers, plant stocks, and dead trees, but caps the size of that material at not more than six inches in diameter or forty-eight inches in length. 030(C) requires single-family generators to place source separated green container organic waste, which includes yard material meeting the Green Waste definition, into the green container for weekly pickup alongside food scraps and other compostable material, rather than the gray trash container or blue recycling container.

030(A), by composting on site or using a community composting site rather than subscribing to the green container service for that portion of their waste stream. 080, which excludes anything over four feet long or sixty pounds from weekly service and requires the owner to haul it to a city-designated disposal site at least once a month. The two thresholds work together: routine trimming and mowing debris moves through the weekly green container, while oversized branches and yard debris from tree removal or major pruning fall outside the green container program entirely and require the separate monthly bulky-item process.