Sonoma County, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- County Code § 22-3, § 22-4
- Service
- Weekly, mandatory countywide
- Yard trimmings limit
- Branches under 4 inches diameter
- First violation
- Written warning, then $100
- Enforcing agency
- Transportation and Public Works Dept.
Summary
Unincorporated Sonoma County requires weekly organic waste collection service, and yard trimmings must go in the green container with food scraps and paper, not the gray trash cart or blue recycling cart.
As of the effective date of this chapter, compostable plastics, manure, biosolids, digestate, sludges, textiles, carpets (whether or not organic), and lumber are not accepted in the green container. Only yard trimmings, food waste, paper products and printing and writing paper may be deposited into the green container as of the effective date of this ordinance. As of the effective date of this chapter, paper products and printing and writing paper may also be placed in the blue container, in addition to other source separated recyclable materials.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 22-3 requires every single-family, multi-family, and commercial property to subscribe to weekly solid waste, recyclable materials, and organic waste collection through the county's franchised hauler, with hardship waivers available for undeveloped or inaccessible parcels. Section 22-4 requires generators to source-separate yard trimmings, defined in § 22-2 as tree trimmings, grass cuttings, plant materials, leaves, branches, and dead trees up to four inches in diameter, into the green container along with food scraps, paper products, and printing/writing paper. Compostable plastics, manure, biosolids, sludges, textiles, carpets, and lumber are barred from the green container even though some are organic.
Violations & Fines
A first violation draws a written warning only; repeat offenses bring administrative citations of $100, then $200, then $500 per violation under § 22-24, enforced by the Transportation and Public Works Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put tree branches in my yard waste cart?
Is weekly collection service mandatory in unincorporated Sonoma County?
What happens if yard waste ends up in the wrong container?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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