Yard trimmings are collected weekly from residential homes, mobile home parks, and participating condos and apartments. Collection for apartments and condos varies by complex; contact your property manager for details. Find your yard trimmings collection or sweep day using the Residential Services Lookup.

San José offers two ways to collect yard trimmings for residential homes and mobile home parks:

• Place your yard trimmings loose in the street (no extra charge).
• Place in your optional yard trimmings cart for collection.  Some areas of the city require a yard trimmings cart.

Yard trimmings carts are available for an additional monthly fee. Call GreenWaste Recovery at (408) 283-4800 to order a yard trimmings cart and start your yard trimmings subscription. If cart is lost or stolen, contact GreenWaste to arrange for a replacement.

Accepted items include:

• Branches
• Prunings and clippings (e.g. flowers, grass, leaves, palm fronds)
• Sod (remove as much soil as possible)
• Christmas trees (natural or flocked)

Items that are NOT accepted include: Ashes, concrete or rock, dirt, food scraps, fruit from trimmed limbs, lumber, and pet waste.

Alternative disposal option:  Oversized Yard Trimmings such as tree trunks and branches weighing no more than 60 pounds,  no longer than 5’ and diameter no larger than 2’ can be disposed of through the City’s free Junk Pickup Program.

Instructions to set out yard trimmings (carts and loose piles):

1. Piles should be less than 5 x 5 feet and be placed at least 1 foot from the curb and 5 feet from carts, cars and additional piles.
2. Branches should be less than 5 feet long and smaller than 6 inches diameter.
3. Yard trimmings carts and piles should be kept out of bike lanes and red curbed areas.
4. For public safety, carts and piles should be set out no more than 24 hours before collection and no later than 6 AM on your collection day. Avoid placing carts and yard trimmings in any bike lanes.
5. Sweep up and remove yard trimmings that remain behind after collection; do not re-pile them. Residents can save trimmings for the next collection week or save for composting.
6. Remember to avoid parking on top of yard trimmings piles in the street and keep yard trimmings out of the garbage and recycling containers. This helps to prevent contamination of recyclables, especially paper.

Interested in home composting?

• Learn about home composting.
• Learn about gardening and composting.
• Learn about what you can compost.