Stockton, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Yard trimmings status
- Classified as organic materials, SMC 8.04.010
- Collection frequency
- Weekly, part of 3-container service
- Wrong-bin consequence
- Contamination processing fee, then $200 citation
- Repeat citation fine
- $500.00 per subsequent violation
- On-site option
- Community composting exemption, § 8.04.020(E)
Summary
Stockton collects grass, leaves, branches and other yard trimmings through its mandatory three-container program, not through a separate brush pickup. Municipal Code Section 8.04.010 defines yard trimmings as a subset of organic materials, and every property owner must subscribe to weekly organics collection under Section 8.04.020, keeping yard debris out of the solid waste cart.
"Yard trimmings" means those discarded materials that will decompose and/or putrefy, including, but not limited to, green trimmings, grass, weeds, leaves, prunings, branches, dead plants, brush, tree trimmings, dead trees, small pieces of unpainted and untreated wood, and other types of organic materials resulting from normal yard and landscaping maintenance that may be specified by the City or applicable law for collection and processing as organic materials, in accordance with this chapter. Yard trimmings does not include items herein defined as excluded waste. Yard trimmings are a subset of organic materials. ... Subscribe to and pay for City's three container collection services for at least weekly collection of recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste;
Full Breakdown
04 folds yard debris into its citywide organics program. 020 makes it mandatory for every property owner to subscribe to and pay for the City's three-container service, which provides for at least weekly collection of recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste, and owners or their generators must place source-separated organic materials, including yard trimmings, in the organic materials container rather than the solid waste cart. 070 backs this up by requiring recyclable materials and organic materials to be separated from other solid waste for collection, though the collector will not refuse a solid waste container over incidental amounts of yard debris.
Large volumes that will not fit the cart, such as a pile of branches from a tree-trimming job, instead fall under the chapter's bulky item provisions, which route that material through separate administrative procedures set by the Public Works Director and the City's franchise collector rather than the weekly organics cart. 020(E).
Violations & Fines
Placing yard trimmings in the solid waste container instead of the organic materials cart is treated as contamination under Chapter 8.04; the City or its designee can issue a notice of contamination and assess contamination processing fees under Section 8.04.360(C)(2). Continued noncompliance after a 60-day notice period can escalate to an administrative citation, $200.00 for a first offense and $500.00 for each later one, under Section 1.32.050.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stockton pick up yard waste separately from trash?
What happens if I put grass clippings in my trash cart?
Can I keep my yard trimmings and compost them at home instead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stockton
California rules heatmap·Compare Stockton to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Joaquin County handle yard waste collection.