What goes in the green bin

What goes in, City of LA

Most of the Valley, including Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Porter Ranch, and Granada Hills, is in the City of Los Angeles, where LA Sanitation & Environment collects the green bin.

Goes in

• Leaves and grass clippings, any variety of grass.
• Plant and tree trimmings, flowers, and branches. LA Sanitation says "thick or thin, fresh or dry, all leaves and branches can be placed in the green bin."
• Clean, untreated wood.
• Food scraps and food-soiled paper. More on that below.

Keep out

• Plastic bags. Dump yard waste in loose.
• Pet waste and pet litter.
• "Compostable" or "biodegradable" bags, utensils, and service ware. LA Sanitation says they often don't break down fast enough at local facilities. They go in the black bin.
• Painted or coated wood. Wood with more than 25% paint stays out.
• Anything that isn't organic: garden hoses, tires, cloth, and construction materials such as asphalt and concrete.
• Household hazardous waste like old pesticides, batteries, and oil-based paint. Take these to an LA Sanitation S.A.F.E. Center or a mobile collection event.

Branches, palm fronds, and the tough stuff

Branches

In the City of LA, branches of any thickness can go in the green bin. Cut long ones down so they fit inside with the rest of the load. If you live in an unincorporated part of LA County, the county's green cart guidance caps tree limbs at 4 inches in diameter.

Palm fronds

Palm fronds are where the rules split. LA Sanitation's green bin pages don't address them either way. Many nearby cities and haulers don't take them in the green cart at all:

• Calabasas lists palm fronds as not accepted, along with yucca and ice plant.
• Thousand Oaks (Athens Services) lists palm fronds as landfill items, meaning the trash cart.
• Unincorporated LA County guidance excludes palm fronds and palm tree trimmings.

The reason is that fronds are tough and fibrous and break down slowly. The LA County Sanitation Districts reject green waste loads that are mostly palm fronds, and loads with palm trunks. If you're in the City of LA, check SORT LA or call 1-800-773-2489 before you fill a bin with fronds.

Cactus, dirt, and rocks

LA County's green cart guidance lists cactus, dirt, and rocks as not accepted. LA Sanitation excludes construction materials like concrete and asphalt. If you're clearing out an old planter, plan for the soil and rock separately.

When it won't fit

A real fall cleanup or a storm can produce more than one green bin can hold in a week.

City of LA: the free annual brush pickup

LA Sanitation offers every household it serves one free collection a year for extra yard trimmings and brush.

1. Schedule it through MyLA311 or by calling the 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489.
2. Bundle and tie the brush so no bundle is longer than 4 feet or heavier than 30 pounds.
3. Ask when you call about anything unusual, like palm fronds or stumps. LA Sanitation's page doesn't list a bundle limit or what it won't take.

Calabasas

The city says green waste has to fit in the cart or it won't be collected. Its 2024 organics presentation describes bulky pickups through WM that can include bundled green waste, so call WM at 800-675-1171 to ask about one.

Spread it out, or have it hauled

For a big cleanup, you can fill the bin over several collection weeks, or have whoever does the work haul the green waste away. For furniture, mattresses, and appliances, see our guide to getting rid of bulky items.

Food scraps go in too

On January 18, 2023, LA Sanitation started taking food scraps in the green bin citywide. It was the city's response to California's SB 1383, which set a statewide target of cutting organic waste sent to landfills by 75% by 2025.

• Food scraps: fruits and vegetables, dairy and eggshells, bread, rice, pasta, and grains, meat, fish bones, and shells, and coffee grounds with paper filters.
• Food-soiled paper: used napkins, paper towels, and greasy pizza boxes.
• No special pail required. The city says any container works for collecting scraps in the kitchen.

Calabasas and Thousand Oaks also take food scraps in the green cart with yard trimmings.

Leaves and the storm drain

It's tempting to blow leaves into the gutter and let the street sweeper take them. LA County Public Works asks residents not to: "Do not blow, sweep, hose or rake leaves or other yard trimmings into the street, gutter or storm drain."

Storm drains are for rain. Leaves, grass clippings, and any pesticide or fertilizer on them wash from the street into the storm drains and flow to the ocean untreated. Rake or blow leaves onto a tarp and put them in the green bin.

Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, and other cities

Each city picks its own hauler and sets its own rules. Here's how the ones nearby compare.

Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, and other cities set their own rules. Check your city's website or your hauler.

Get it back as free mulch

The City of LA gives mulch away free to City of LA residents. It's self-serve, so bring a shovel and sturdy containers, or a pickup truck for a bulk load. Three give-away sites are in the Valley:

• Lopez Canyon Environmental Center, 11950 Lopez Canyon Road. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 818-374-7578 to check that mulch is in stock before you go.
• North Hollywood, at Vineland Avenue and West Chandler Boulevard. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Restocked Mondays and Thursdays.
• Van Nuys, 15800 Victory Boulevard. Open weekdays, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Restocked Mondays.

A standard pickup truck holds about one cubic yard, which covers roughly 324 square feet at 1 inch deep. For how deep to spread it to keep weeds down, see our guide to weeds after the first rain.