Rancho Cucamonga, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt activity
- Self-collection/removal of green waste
- Who qualifies
- Residents, owners, landscapers, arborists
- Condition
- Work directly related to their job
- No permit required
- For qualifying green-waste self-haul
- Curbside routing
- Sorted into green container under Ch. 8.15
Summary
Rancho Cucamonga defines green waste broadly and lets residents, property owners, landscapers, weed abatement contractors, and arborists collect and remove it themselves without hiring the city's franchised hauler. Municipal Code Section 8.17.050(E) exempts this activity from the general rule that only an authorized collector may haul waste in the city.
The collection and removal of green waste by individual residents, property owners and businesses, including, but not limited to, professional landscapers, weed abatement contractors or arborists, when the collection is directly related to their work. ... "Green waste" means tree and shrubbery trimmings, vegetation matter resulting from land clearing, grass cuttings, weeds, straw, leaves, wood chips, sawdust, garden organic materials and other discarded plant or vegetation material.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4999536; v21 updated 2026-07-15).
Full Breakdown
020 defines "green waste" to cover tree and shrubbery trimmings, land-clearing vegetation, grass cuttings, weeds, straw, leaves, wood chips, sawdust, and other garden organic material. 050 generally makes it unlawful for anyone but the city's authorized collector, currently the franchised hauler under a council-approved collection agreement, to collect or transport solid waste in the city, subsection E specifically exempts the collection and removal of green waste by individual residents, property owners, and businesses, including professional landscapers, weed abatement contractors, or arborists, when the work is directly related to their job.
That means a homeowner clearing a yard, or a landscaper hauling away trimmings from a client's property, does not need a self-haul permit or a franchise agreement to move that green waste off-site. 15, where green waste is sorted into the green container alongside food waste for single-family households.
Violations & Fines
Because green waste self-collection is an express exemption, no permit or fee applies to residents, landscapers, or arborists removing it themselves. Anyone hauling green waste for a fee without qualifying as an authorized collector or falling within this exemption risks prosecution under Section 8.17.050's general ban on unauthorized solid waste collection, plus the misdemeanor penalties in Section 1.12.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I haul my own yard waste to the dump in Rancho Cucamonga?
Do landscapers need a permit to remove yard waste from a client's property?
What counts as green waste under city code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rancho Cucamonga
California rules heatmap·Compare Rancho Cucamonga to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle yard waste collection.