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

Merced County Code § 9.04.030 defines 'garden rubbish' as grass clippings, tree or shrub trimmings, and other waste plant material generated by residential gardening and yard care, distinct from 'commercial garden rubbish' generated by a business. Chapter 9.08, Refuse-Disposal, then sets the physical rules for putting that material out for collection. Under § 9.08.050(B), where the county's automated carts are not used, garden rubbish may go into standard containers, bins, or disposable containers; any disposable container must be secured against spillage, strong enough not to fall apart wet or dry, and no larger than three feet long, two feet across, or 40 pounds when full. Loose, un-containerized yard waste must instead be tied into bundles that will not come apart when carried by one person, capped at four feet long, two feet across, and 40 pounds, and no single limb in the bundle may exceed four inches in diameter.

Section 9.08.060 further requires that any container or bundle be set out no earlier than the evening before the scheduled collection day and no later than 5:30 a.m. on collection day itself, placed off the roadway on or adjacent to the resident's own premises, and that empty containers be pulled back out of public view by 7:00 p.m. that same day. Residents also have the option under § 9.08.010(A) to compost garden rubbish on-site in a manner approved by the county health officer instead of setting it out for pickup at all.