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

City Code § 14-1 defines 'yard waste,' also called yard trimmings, as organic waste resulting from normal yard and landscaping installation, maintenance or removal. That material is collected as part of 'organic materials,' the same stream that carries food scraps and food-soiled paper, in the organic materials container required under § 14-2. For multifamily premises, § 14-2(2)(h) adds a specific duty: if the property generates two cubic yards or more of total solid waste, recyclable materials and organic materials per week and arranges for gardening or landscaping services, the contract or work agreement with that landscaper must specify that the organic material the landscaper generates is managed in compliance with Chapter 14, closing a gap where a hired crew might otherwise haul clippings away outside the City's diversion system.

A landscaper who generates and hauls their own waste using their own equipment can qualify as a 'self-hauler' under § 14-1, in which case § 14-6 governs how that material must be taken to an authorized solid waste, organic waste, recycling or donation facility rather than dumped informally. Property owners who prefer not to bin small amounts of yard waste have a separate, narrow option under the chapter's collection regulations, discussed on its own page, for keeping a small pile or compost heap out of general public view.