Guide · 6 min read · updated 2026-09-17
Green waste and yard debris disposal: why it costs more than trash at some gates
Branches, clippings, stumps and clean wood: what each gate charges, why Sacramento County green waste costs more per ton than trash, and how SB 1383 changed it.
The short answer
Yard waste is the category where the cheapest option is almost always the one you already pay for: your green cart.
For anything bigger than the cart, the numbers can surprise you. At Kiefer Landfill and the North Area Recovery Station, green waste, clean wood and stumps are $115.65 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) — more than Kiefer's ordinary trash rate of $61.35 a ton (effective 2026-01-01). And you cannot just hide the branches in a trash load to save money; mixed loads can be charged as special handling.
Tree stumps are their own problem. San Joaquin County's North County Landfill prices them as hard-to-handle at $123.97 a ton (effective 2026-01-01), and Lovelace in Manteca does not take them at all.
Why organics are handled separately
California's short-lived climate pollutant law, SB 1383 (2016), set targets to cut the amount of organic waste going into landfills: a 50 percent reduction from 2014 levels by 2020 and a 75 percent reduction by 2025 (Health and Safety Code §39730.6). Public Resources Code §42652.5 directed CalRecycle to write the regulations that make local governments and generators meet those targets.
That is why cities in this area run organics or green-waste carts, and why the gates separate green waste from trash. Organic material in a landfill breaks down without oxygen and produces methane. Separated, it becomes compost or mulch.
For you, it means two things. Green waste belongs in its own pile. And at some gates the separate green-waste rate is higher than trash, because processing it costs money too.
What each gate charges
Figures are from each operator's posted sheet with the date the rate took effect.
| Gate | Green waste / clean wood | Stumps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiefer Landfill, Sloughhouse | $115.65 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) | Green waste rate, max 3 feet wide by 8 feet long | Weighed minimum $45 (effective 2026-01-01) |
| North Area Recovery Station, Sacramento | $115.65 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) | Green waste rate, max 3 ft wide by 8 ft long | Weighed minimum $50 (effective 2026-01-01) |
| Gilton Resource Recovery, Modesto | Clean wood $65 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) | — | Treated wood $150 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) |
| North County Landfill, Lodi | Weighed rate, $60.93 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) | Hard-to-handle, $123.97 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) | Pressure-treated and creosote wood also hard-to-handle |
| Lovelace Transfer Station, Manteca | — | Logs and stumps refused | Treated and creosote wood refused |
The mixed-load trap
Sacramento County's fee sheets give the site supervisor discretion to charge special handling at $347.80 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) when a mixed load is not unloaded in the right areas — the sheet's own example is green waste and recyclables mixed with garbage.
That makes the cheap-looking move expensive. Throwing a few hundred pounds of branches in with a trash load to avoid the green-waste line can turn the whole load into a special-handling charge. Load green waste separately, or at least on top so it comes off first.
In San Joaquin County, the North County sheet does not post a separate green-waste line, so small amounts of yard debris ride at the ordinary weighed rate. Stumps, large beams and pressure-treated or creosote-coated wood are billed as hard-to-handle.
Treated wood is not green waste
Fence boards, deck boards, landscape timbers, railroad ties and old telephone poles are usually pressure-treated or creosote-coated. They are not green waste, they cannot go in a green cart, and every gate prices them higher.
North County lists pressure-treated and creosote-coated wood as hard-to-handle, at $123.97 a ton (effective 2026-01-01). Gilton charges $150 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) for treated wood against $65 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) for clean wood. Lovelace refuses it.
If you are tearing out a fence and trimming the hedge on the same weekend, keep them in two piles.
Getting more into the cart
The green cart is already paid for, so it is the cheapest disposal you have. A few ways to use it harder:
- Cut branches to fit so the lid closes. Most haulers will not empty an overfilled cart.
- Spread it over several weeks if the job is not urgent.
- Ask your hauler about extra carts or bulky yard-waste pickups. Many cities offer both; the terms vary by city and hauler.
- Chip it. Renting a chipper for a large pruning job turns a trailer of branches into a few yards of mulch you can keep.
What we charge, and when it is worth it
Yard waste, branches and green waste are on our standard take list for junk removal, and green waste is separated out on our loads rather than mixed with trash. It prices by volume like any other load, which suits branches: they are bulky and light.
Where we are worth it is the job bigger than a cart and a weekend: an overgrown back lot, the yard of a vacant rental, storm debris, or a property being cleared for sale. Those show up constantly on property cleanouts. If you would rather load it yourself, a trailer dropped in your driveway sits there while you work. Load prices are on the pricing page.
Storm debris and fallen trees
After a windstorm the calls are all the same: a limb through the fence, a split trunk across the driveway, and more branches than the green cart will hold in a month.
Safety first. Anything touching a power line is the utility's problem, not yours and not ours. Call them and stay back.
Cut to the gate's limits. Kiefer and NARS take stumps and trunks at the green-waste rate up to 3 feet wide by 8 feet long. Anything bigger is a tree-service job before it is a hauling job.
Separate the wood from the fence. Broken fence boards and posts are usually treated wood, which is not green waste. Keep them in their own pile.
Watch the weight. Green wood is heavy. A trailer full of fresh-cut oak weighs far more than the same trailer of dry prunings, and at a per-ton green-waste rate that shows up on the ticket.
If a tree is still standing but damaged, call a licensed tree service or an arborist. Tree work is not something we do; we haul what is on the ground.
Clearing a vacant lot or a rental yard
Overgrowth on a vacant property is one of the most common reasons we get a call, usually because a city has sent a weed-abatement or property-maintenance letter with a deadline.
A few things make that job faster and cheaper:
- Cut first, haul second. Mowed or cut vegetation packs far tighter than standing brush.
- Pull the trash out of the green waste. Vacant lots collect dumped bags, furniture and tires. If it stays mixed in, a Sacramento County gate can charge the whole load as special handling.
- Photograph before and after. If a city letter started this, the photos are your proof of compliance. The same standard we use on trash-outs works here.
- Know your deadline. Tell whoever you hire the date on the letter. It changes how the job is scheduled.
For investor-owned and bank-owned properties, the yard is usually one line on a larger trash-out. For a landlord, it is often the last step of a turnover.
What we need to know to quote a yard job
Yard jobs vary more than almost anything else we haul, so a photo from the street and a few answers get you a firm number on the first call.
- What is it? Prunings, fresh-cut limbs, stumps, sod, or a mix. Fresh wood and sod are heavy; dry prunings are light.
- Is anything mixed in? Fence boards, trash bags, old tires or furniture change where the load can go.
- How far is the pile from where a trailer can park? A long carry through a side gate is a line on the price book.
- Is there a deadline? A city letter or a closing date changes the schedule, not the price.
Quick answers
Can I burn yard waste instead? Burning rules are set by the local air district and fire authority, and they change with season and air quality. Check with them before you light anything.
Is sod or dirt green waste? No. Soil and sod are heavy and handled as dirt or inerts; see the concrete and dirt guide.
What about palm fronds and cactus? Some composters do not want them. Call the gate before bringing a dedicated load.
Where are the gates? Rates, hours and what each accepts are in every gate and every rate for 2026.
Related guides
Sources
Every fee above is read from the operator's own published sheet and shown with its effective date. Rates change; call the gate before you load a truck around a number.
- California Health and Safety Code §39730.6 — SB 1383 organic waste targets — read 2026-09-17
- California Public Resources Code §42652.5 — organic waste regulations — read 2026-09-17
- Sacramento County — Kiefer Landfill fees, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- Sacramento County — North Area Recovery Station fees, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- Gilton Resource Recovery price sheet, effective 2026-07-01 — read 2026-09-17
- San Joaquin County — North County Recycling Center & Sanitary Landfill price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- San Joaquin County — Lovelace MRF & Transfer Station price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17