Stockton, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Per California SB 1383 and SMC Chapter 8.04 (updated June 2022 to align with the state mandate), Stockton residents receive a 90-gallon green-lid organics cart that accepts all yard trimmings and food waste together. Accepted yard-waste items include grass clippings, leaves, weeds, small branches (cut to fit, generally under 4 ft long and 4 in diameter), prunings, and untreated wood. Accepted food items include fruit and vegetable scraps, meat and dairy, bones, eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, and food-soiled paper (napkins, paper towels, paper plates, pizza boxes). Plastic bags — including 'compostable' plastic bags — are NOT accepted; food scraps may be wrapped in newspaper or paper bags or placed directly in the cart. Branches larger than 4 ft × 4 in must be cut down or scheduled through the once-yearly Clean Sweep bulky pickup. Open burning of yard waste is also restricted under San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District 'Check Before You Burn' rules and Stockton Fire Code, making the green cart the required disposal route during most of the year.