Yard Materials
Davis Waste Removal collects yard materials once a week, usually the day before trash pick-up.
Yard refuse pick-up and street sweeping schedule
To make disposal of yard material easy for you and safe for others, please follow these guidelines:
- Place yard materials directly in front of your house, not across the street or around the corner from your house—it will not be picked up!
- Place your yard material 18” from the curb or gutter.
- YARD MATERIAL PILES SHOULD NOT BE LARGER THAN 5’ IN ANY DIMENSION.
- Do not block fire hydrants, driveways or stormdrain inlets with yard waste piles.
- Be aware that yard material piles can create serious hazards for cyclists; BIKE LANES SHOULD NEVER BE BLOCKED.
- Do not park or drive over yard materials.
- Do not place yard materials in bags—leave them loose in piles on the street.
- If you are using a leaf blower to clean your property and/or sidewalk, please pick out any trash that you may have collected and do NOT leave trash in your yard material pile.
YES
- Grass clippings
- Brush
- Leaves
- Prunings
- Weeds
- Discarded floral displays
- Indoor plants
- Christmas trees
- Branches up to 8 inches in diameter
NO
- Sod
- Soil
- fruit
- Flowerpots
- Florists' wire
- Stumps
- Fencing
- Bricks
- Concrete
- Rocks
- Wood
- Branches larger than 8 inches in diameter
- Pet waste
- Trash
- Yard Waste and Pollution Prevention flier
- Gardening Waste Reduction and Reuse Tips flier
- Send your grass back to it’s roots! Learn about grasscycling!
Bicycle Safety and Yard Waste Piles
BIKE LANES SHOULD NEVER BE BLOCKED. This may mean that your yard waste pile cannot be 5 feet wide if it obstructs the bike lane. Please be aware that yard material piles can cause cyclists to crash by slipping or getting branches stuck in their wheel spokes; due to their low profile and non-uniform size, cyclists may not see the piles until they come upon them, especially in the absence of street lighting.
In the fall of 2007, a pilot program to containerize yard waste was considered, but it was voted down by City Council in January 2008. More information on the Yard Waste Containerization Pilot Project.
Backyard Composting
Backyard composting uses natural decomposition processes to turn kitchen and yard wastes into a nutrient-rich soil supplement for your yard or garden. It also diverts waste from our landfill. Proper backyard composting requires little work and is odor and rodent-free. Learn more about backyard composting and other food scrap composting techniques, including worm composting, in-ground composting and homemade food digesters.
Want to learn about composting?
Composting classes are available through the City Recycling Program and UC Davis Project Compost.
City of Davis Compost Correspondence Class:
The City of Davis offers a year-round compost correspondence course to Davis residents in single-family homes. To enroll, call the Public works Department (757-5686) to request a compost packet mailed to your home. Once you receive the packet, read the materials inside, fill out the enclosed quiz and return the quiz to the Public Works Department. A city staff-person will contact you to let you know that your quiz was received and that your compost bin is available for pick-up. A $10 fee will be charged for a compost bin.
You can also learn about composting by visiting the compost demonstration area at the Community Gardens and see composting happening in a variety of different bins built from reused materials. The demonstration area has recently been revamped with new signs and free brochures about composting. It's a walk-by composting class!
UC Davis Project Compost Classes:
See www.projectcompost.ucdavis.edu for more UC Davis compost class information.
Contact Project Compost at 754-8227 or email at
projectcompost@yahoo.com.
For more details view the full PDF version of the Recycling Guide