San Clemente, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Yard waste includes
- clippings, leaves, trimmings, brush, weeds
- Landscaper exception condition
- must go to legal composting/diversion site
- Nuisance trigger
- accumulation beyond one week
- First citation fine
- $50
- Repeat citation fine
- $100
Summary
San Clemente residents dispose of yard clippings, prunings, and brush through the City's organic waste cart under the mandatory three-container system, but a homeowner's own gardener or landscaper may also haul yard waste away as part of a service call without a separate hauling permit, so long as it goes somewhere legal.
No person other than the City or the Franchise Hauler shall place or collect a ... container on any property or street within the City for the purpose of providing solid waste handling services, except as follows: ... C ... The collection, transportation, or disposal of yard waste by a gardener, or landscaper, as part of the gardening or landscaping services provided to its customers, provided that such yard waste is taken to a legal place for composting, diversion, or disposal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code Section 8.28.010 defines yard waste as organic waste from landscape maintenance or alteration, including yard clippings, leaves, tree trimmings, prunings, brush, and weeds, folded into the broader "organic materials" collected through the City's mandatory three-container program under Section 8.28.130. While the City's exclusive Franchise Hauler otherwise holds sole rights to collect solid waste under Section 8.28.005, Section 8.28.051(C) carves out an exception: a gardener or landscaper may collect, transport, or dispose of yard waste as part of the gardening or landscaping service provided to a customer, provided the waste is taken to a legal place for composting, diversion, or disposal.
Yard waste that is not being actively removed under that exception is still subject to the general solid waste rules: it cannot be dumped on any public street, beach, park, or private property outside a container under Section 8.28.020, and bulky yard debris left out otherwise than for a scheduled pickup is treated the same as any other bulky item under Section 8.28.021.
Violations & Fines
Collecting yard waste for a fee without being the Franchise Hauler or an exempt gardener or landscaper under Section 8.28.051 violates the City's exclusive collection franchise and is enforceable the same as any unauthorized hauling. Letting yard waste or other solid waste accumulate on a property beyond one week is declared a public nuisance under Section 8.28.110, subject to summary abatement under Chapters 8.52 and 8.76 and citation fines starting at $50 for a first violation, $75 for a second, and $100 for a third or subsequent violation under Section 8.28.210(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my gardener haul away my yard waste instead of the trash company?
What counts as yard waste in San Clemente?
How long can yard waste sit on my property before it's a violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
California rules heatmap·Compare San Clemente to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle yard waste collection.