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

The Solid Waste Management chapter, Chapter 200 of Title V, defines "green waste" as discarded material that will decompose or putrefy, including green trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches, dead plants, brush, tree trimmings, dead trees, and small pieces of unpainted, untreated wood; the code treats green waste as a subset of organic materials rather than ordinary solid waste. Any green waste set out for collection in the green container is capped at six inches in diameter and three feet in length, and it must fit inside the container the authorized contractor provides; loose yard debris that exceeds that size is not an authorized set-out.

The code does carve out a bundling option for larger yard material: certain branches, trimmings and wood may be securely bundled and placed for collection instead of going through the green container, but only in accordance with regulations the City approves from time to time, so residents cannot simply pile oversized branches at the curb without following those bundling rules. Single-family customers must keep green waste separated from recyclables and solid waste, placing it only in the green container as part of the mandatory collection service described elsewhere in Chapter 200; mixing green waste into the gray solid-waste container is not permitted. The authorized contractor under the City's waste franchise collects green-container material on the regular residential schedule.