Santa Rosa, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Enrollment
- Automatic in garbage, recycling, and organics service
- Organic waste cart
- Leaves, grass, pruning, brush, holiday trees
- Exempt from cart
- Branches/lumber over 5 ft long or 2 ft diameter
- Commingling ban
- Organic waste may not mix with garbage/recycling
- Governing section
- Santa Rosa City Code § 9-12.070
Summary
Santa Rosa automatically enrolls every residence, multifamily property and business in curbside organic waste service under § 9-12.070, and yard trimmings go in the organic waste cart alongside food scraps. Branches or lumber over five feet long or two feet in diameter count as 'exempt waste' the hauler's cart cannot take, and mixing garbage into an organics cart is a violation.
Residential Organic Waste Service. All organic waste must be generated by and at the service unit wherein the organic waste is collected. Only organic waste may be placed in an organic waste cart, provided by the contractor. ... "Exempt waste" means biohazardous or biomedical waste, hazardous waste, sludge, stable matter, yard trimmings or lumber that is more than five feet in length in its longest dimension or two feet in diameter, automobiles, automobile parts, boats, boat parts, boat trailers, internal combustion engines, lead-acid batteries, any matter or materials which are not acceptable for disposal at a solid waste landfill.
Full Breakdown
010 to include plant debris such as leaves, grass clippings, pruning, weeds, branches, brush and holiday trees, into the cart the contractor provides for that purpose. Only organic waste generated at that address may go in the cart, and subsection (E)(1) flatly bans commingling organic waste with garbage or recyclables in any container. Not everything from the yard qualifies for the cart, though: the definitions section carves out 'exempt waste,' which includes yard trimmings or lumber more than five feet in its longest dimension or two feet in diameter, along with stable matter and other bulky debris the hauler will not accept curbside.
080 rather than stuffing it in the organic cart. Multifamily developments of five or more units and commercial premises can apply for a waiver from some organics requirements if their organic waste volume is small (a 'de minimis' waiver based on gallons per week) or if the property genuinely lacks room for a separate container, with waivers running up to five years and revocable if circumstances change. 040, where a violation of Chapter 9-12 is a misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Commingling organic waste like grass clippings or branches into the garbage or recycling cart, or vice versa, violates § 9-12.070(E)(1), and any violation of Chapter 9-12 is a misdemeanor under § 9-12.040. The City Manager can also enter the premises to inspect for compliance, and a multifamily or commercial property that loses its organics waiver for exceeding the volume threshold must resume full compliance or face the same misdemeanor exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put tree branches in my Santa Rosa organics cart?
Am I automatically signed up for yard waste and recycling pickup?
Can my apartment building or business get out of separating organic waste?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Rosa
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Rosa to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle yard waste collection.