Salinas, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Required service
- Three-container: garbage, compost, recycling
- Green waste goes in
- Compost container
- On-site alternative
- Composting or community composting site
- First violation fine
- $50-$100
- Repeat violation fine
- Up to $250-$500
- Adopted under
- Ordinance No. 2654(NCS), implementing SB 1383
Summary
Salinas requires every generator, residential and commercial alike, to subscribe to the city's exclusive franchisee's three-container collection service, which includes a dedicated compost container for green waste such as grass cuttings, leaves and branches. Generators may instead manage organic waste on-site or through a permitted community composting site rather than subscribing.
Generators, including single-family and multi-family and commercial businesses, except those commercial businesses that obtain a waiver pursuant to requirements in this chapter, shall: (1)Subscribe to three container collection service with exclusive franchisee to include a garbage container, compost container and recyclable materials container, and shall comply with the following requirements. (2)Maintain for such residence separate garbage, compost and recycling containers, supplied by the exclusive franchisee... Generators may manage their organic waste by preventing or reducing their organic waste, managing organic waste on site, and/or using a community composting site pursuant to 14 CCR Section 18984.9(c) to the extent permitted by other applicable laws.
Full Breakdown
13(a) of Chapter 14, every generator, defined broadly to include single-family and multi-family residences and commercial businesses, must subscribe to three-container collection service with the city's exclusive franchisee: a garbage container, a compost container and a recyclable materials container. 01 defines green waste as all tree and plant trimmings, grass cuttings, dead plants, weeds, leaves, branches and similar materials, while carving out tree stumps and intact dead or diseased trees, which count as bulky waste instead and are handled separately. Generators must maintain enough containers, in adequate number and size, to hold everything produced between collection days, and the city can require larger or additional containers if the ones on-site aren't keeping pace.
9(c), instead of paying for the container service. This whole framework was adopted under Ordinance No. 2654(NCS) to implement California's SB 1383 organic waste reduction mandate, and it applies on top of, not instead of, the separate garbage and recycling container requirements in the same section.
Violations & Fines
Failing to subscribe to the required compost container service, or placing green waste in the garbage container instead of the compost container, is enforced under Section 14-01.32: a first violation draws a base penalty of $50 to $100, a second draws $100 to $200, and a third or subsequent violation draws $250 to $500, each issued as an administrative citation after a notice of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay for yard waste pickup in Salinas?
Can I put tree stumps in the green waste container?
What happens if I don't separate green waste from garbage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salinas
California rules heatmap·Compare Salinas to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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