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

Section 7.10.050 of the National City Municipal Code, inside the garbage and refuse collection chapter, is where the Property Conservation Code sets yard waste standards. Subsection B says receptacles for the containment of yard waste must have a capacity of no more than forty gallons and a weight not exceeding fifty pounds when filled. Reusable rigid containers or cans must be made of nonabsorbent and corrosion-resistant materials and should be easily cleanable. The opening's diameter must be no less than the diameter anywhere below the top, and the can should be tapered so compacted waste discharges when it is inverted. The interior must be smooth, without projections that would interfere with emptying, and the can can have no cracks, holes or jagged edges that could injure collection personnel. Handles must sit directly opposite one another on the sides for easy lifting, covers or lids must be tight-fitting to resist water and vectors, and the design must keep the can from tipping over easily.

Brush is handled separately. Subsection F allows brush and limbs of trees to be placed for collection outside of receptacles in tied bundles not more than four feet in length, not more than eighteen inches in diameter, and not more than sixty pounds in weight each. Section 7.10.010.H places leaves and tree and vine trimmings inside the definition of rubbish, which means they fall under the same mandatory collection chapter, and Section 7.10.020 requires owners and occupants to subscribe to the city's designated rubbish hauler.

Set-out and dumping rules apply to yard waste like any other refuse. Under Section 7.10.120, containers stay on private property between collection days and cannot go to the curb, alley or public right-of-way before four p.m. on the day before scheduled collection, and they must be removed before noon on the day after collection. Section 7.10.110.B keeps containers within ten feet of the curbline or alley right-of-way and off sidewalks in a way that interferes with pedestrians. Section 7.10.170.A bars depositing brush, tree trimmings, dirt or similar matter in any ditch, arroyo or storm drain, on any street or park without a public works director permit, or on a lot belonging to another. Section 7.10.130 makes whoever places containers responsible for cleaning up spillage or debris from placement or collection.