Refuse & Recycling Services

874 - Yard Waste Collection Program

The City of Santa Monica's yard waste collection program is designed to divert organic materials from the landfill for composting. The yard waste materials collected are composted for agricultural purposes. The dark green, 95-gallon yard waste container is supplied to all single-family residents at no extra charge.

Only the following materials may be placed in the green container: grass, leaves, yard trimmings, weeds, tree trimmings and small branches not more than 3 feet long. Do not put plastic bags, animal waste, food waste, wood, lumber, rocks, trash, palm fronds or hazardous materials in the yard waste container.

The container should be placed on the street or in the alley on your scheduled refuse collection day with the lid opening facing the street and the container handles pointing toward your home. Containers should be at least two feet from other collection containers and objects such as vehicles, poles, walls, fences, trees, street signs.

Do not place extra yard debris in other containers provided for trash and recycling collection. Additional yard waste containers may be obtained from the city at no charge. Do not place yard waste or other trash outside of the containers, since all waste materials are collected using automated trucks and drivers are unable to pick up any that are not in the containers.

To obtain the collection schedule for your neighborhood or to request an extra container, call the city's Solid Waste Management Division at (310) 458-2223, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may leave a message after hours and on weekends, and your call will be returned on the next business day.