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

Municipal Code section 13-2 defines YARD WASTE narrowly as 'lawn clippings, tree and shrubbery trimmings, and leaves that can be properly and safely collected and transported in a collection vehicle.' That definition matters because section 13-17 attaches a direct financial consequence to misuse: any customer whose yard waste container is contaminated with items other than yard waste as defined in section 13-2 'may be assessed an additional charge, the amount of which is set by resolution by the city council.' Larger yard debris does not simply disappear from service; section 13-12(A) routes tree and shrub trimmings that cannot fit in the city-provided yard waste cart to the special pick-up program instead, at an extra charge set by council resolution, alongside other bulky materials like dirt, stumps and broken concrete.

Section 13-16 separately makes it unlawful to dispose of solid waste, which includes excess yard debris, by burning it within city limits. Because yard waste is a subset of the broader garbage and refuse scheme in Chapter 13, the general enforcement powers of the city manager or designee under section 13-13, including route- and rule-setting authority, apply to the yard waste cart program along with the chapter's overall $1,000.00 misdemeanor penalty under section 13-24 for willful noncompliance.