Yard Trimmings
Yard Trimmings Collection
Yard trimmings are collected weekly from single-family homes and participating condos and apartments. San José has two ways to collect yard trimmings. Place your yard trimmings loose in the street or in your optional yard trimmings cart for collection. Optional yard trimmings carts are available for an additional monthly fee by calling (408) 535-3500. Loose collection of yard trimmings is included in your garbage fee at no extra charge.
The City will contact you with instructions if you live in a neighborhood where loose in the street collection is not possible due to high-density housing, bike lanes, red curbs or other obstructions.
Yard Trimmings Set Out
Set out yard trimmings in front of your residence no later than 6 a.m. on
your collection day, and no earlier than the day before. Municipal code prohibits
set outs earlier than 24 hours because they can block parking, obscure vision
around piles, and create safety hazards for cyclists and motorists.
Apartments & Condos
Collection of yard trimmings varies by complex; contact your property manager for details. Remember to avoid parking on top of yard trimmings piles in the street. And please keep yard trimmings out of the recycling carts and bins. This helps to prevent contamination of recyclables, especially paper.
Loose in the Street
Loose in the street piles should be 5 feet by 5 feet, 1 foot from the curb, and at least 5 feet from any other piles, carts, or parked cars. Keep your yard trimmings cart 5 feet away from anything that may block the collection truck, including yard trimmings piles and parked cars. Avoid putting your carts and yard trimmings piles in bike lanes or next to red curbs.
Sweep up and remove yard trimmings that remain behind after collection; don't re-pile them. Instead, save them for next week's collection. Or better yet, put those bits of yard trimmings to better use by scattering them under bushes or adding them to your compost bin. Street sweepers drive around piles to avoid hidden debris that could damage their specialized equipment.
Curbside collection of yard trimmings include:
- Branches (5 feet or shorter in length and 6 inches or less in diameter)
- Flowers
- Grass clippings (or grasscycle them instead)
- Leaves
- Palm fronds
- Small prunings
- Sod (remove as much soil as possible)
Curbside collection of yard trimmings do NOT
include:
- Ashes
- Concrete
- Dirt
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Lumber
- Pumpkins
- Pet waste
- Rocks
What happens to the yard trimmings collected in San José?
Yard trimmings are collected by Green Waste Recovery to be recycled into high-quality
soil amendments, compost, mulch, or wood chips. Some of compost is used in our
City parks and community gardens while the balance is sold for agricultural use,
and to local nurseries and soil yards.
Why does San José pick up yard trimmings separately from garbage and recycling?
Yard trimmings represent about 35 percent of the City's residential waste stream. By separating the trimmings from the garbage, the City not only avoids dumping nearly an additional 147,000 tons per year or more into its landfills, but makes a valuable product for improving soils.
What if I have more yard trimmings than fit into my
cart?
Your yard trimmings cart lid must be completely closed when you
set out your cart at curbside for collection. Place extra yard trimmings
loose in the street for collection. Piles should be no more than
5 feet high by 5 feet wide, placed 1 foot from the curb, and at
least 5 feet from other piles, carts, or parked cars.
If you live in an off-street collection area, place any extra yard trimmings next to the cart, either:
- in your own 32-gallon can labeled with a hauler-provided sticker, or
- tied in a bundle, no larger than your cart.
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