Riverside, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Green materials defined
- Yard trimmings, grass, brush, leaves
- Separation duty
- Required before disposal, by definition
- Excluded from green waste
- Food scraps, food-soiled paper
- Contamination threshold
- Over 2% by volume ineligible material
- Repeat-violation fee
- Extra container charge, 3rd tag/year
Summary
Riverside's code defines exactly what counts as 'green materials' that must go in the organics cart, yard trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches and brush, and states in the definition itself that it must be separated from trash before disposal, under RMC § 6.04.010.
Designated green materials (or "green materials" or "green waste") means materials that are required to be separated from solid waste and designated recyclable materials prior to disposal and returned for use or reuse in the form of raw materials for new, used or reconstituted products. Green materials include, but are not limited to: yard trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches, dead plants, brush, tree trimmings, dead trees, small wood pieces and other types of organic yard waste. Green materials excludes food scraps and paper contaminated with food scraps.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
010 defines two overlapping categories that control how Riverside residents must set out yard debris. ' A second, broader category, 'designated organic recyclable materials,' covers the same yard-trimmings list plus food scraps and food-contaminated paper, and the chapter notes that for multifamily residential property this broader term is treated as meaning only the green-materials list. prior to disposal,' Riverside residents cannot bag grass clippings, prunings, or brush with household trash, it has to go in the container the Public Works Director designates for organics or green waste. 1.
Violations & Fines
The city enforces the separation duty at the curb under § 6.04.040(D): placing solid waste into a container designated for green or organic recyclable material is a contamination violation, defined as more than two percent by volume of ineligible material. A collector tags a contaminated container rather than refusing to empty it; three tagged pickups in a calendar year trigger a fee equal to an extra disposal-container charge, and five or more can require the property to maintain and pay for a second container, appealable to the Public Works Director within ten days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as green waste in Riverside?
Can I put grass clippings in my regular trash can?
What happens if I mix yard waste with trash in the wrong cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle yard waste collection.