Reviewed September 21, 2026 against City and County sources. Confirm hours before you drive.
- 1Put food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings in the green organics bin. Keep them out of the gray trash.
- 2Do not bag organics in plastic — not even bags labeled compostable. Layer food scraps with yard waste or use a paper bag.
- 3Keep dirt, rocks, treated lumber, and household junk out of the green cart.
- 4For branches too large for the lid to close, self-haul clean green material to Miramar Greenery or book a staged pickup. We are not a tree service.
What the green bin is for
City of San Diego collects organic waste weekly in the green cart, Monday–Friday, same window as trash. Acceptable organics include food scraps, food-soiled paper, and plant trimmings. The City tells residents not to place organics in plastic bags, even compostable ones — bags tangle in processing. A better method is layering food scraps with yard waste or a paper bag. Recyclables stay in the blue cart; trash in gray.
Do not put electronics, hazardous waste, batteries, or chemicals in any cart. Dirt, rock, and construction scrap are not green-bin material. Christmas trees, once the season ends, are typically cut to fit the green cart or taken to posted tree-recycling sites — they are not C&D debris.
Greenery, county rules, and oversized piles
The Miramar Greenery, at the landfill complex, processes green material. Clean wood and green material have their own (lower) fee columns than mixed trash or C&D. City residents can also pick up free compost at the Greenery Monday–Saturday 7 a.m.–4 p.m. when the giveaway is running. Cover self-haul loads.
Unincorporated county organics programs treat yard trimmings and nonhazardous wood as organic materials. Franchise bulky pickup may include green materials with size caps (commonly about two feet diameter, four feet length, 50 pounds per bundle, totaling not more than a cubic yard unless the hauler allows more). Tree trunks and stumps are often special-handling at the landfill, not a green-cart item.
Fred’s yard-waste hauling is for staged piles: bagged clippings, bundled branches, and patio junk mixed with trimmings. We do not climb trees, chip in place, or take a full landscape demolition. A small staged load prices like other junk — photo first. Dirt and concrete are a different quote.
Official sources
Need pickup instead of drop-off? See yard waste hauling or text a photo.
