By Gabriel Torres, Discard Junk Removal
Getting rid of yard waste in Sacramento, at a glance
STRAIGHT ANSWERS IN 10 SECONDS
- Your green container
- City customers get organics pickup every week, year-round. Leaves, clippings, prunings and small branches go in loose, with the lid closed. No plastic bags.
- Leaf season and appointments
- From November through January, city customers can pile extra yard waste in the street for the claw. From February through October, a free junk pickup appointment can include yard waste.
- What the city won’t take
- Pet waste never goes in yard waste. Anything too big, too heavy or outside the city’s rules has to be self-hauled or hauled for you.
- If you want it hauled
- Yard waste is priced by how much room it takes in the truck. Dirt, rock and sod are priced by weight, free quote. You pay after the job, fuel is included, no travel surcharges.
- How fast
- Same-day pickup is often available, and we’re open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Branches need to be cut into pieces we can carry.
- Reviews
- ★ on Google across 506+ reviews.
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Sacramento is a city of trees, and trees make a lot of yard waste. Between spring pruning, summer overgrowth and the fall leaf drop, most yards produce more green waste than a weekly cart can hold. The good news is that the City of Sacramento has some of the most generous yard waste programs in the region. Here’s how to use them in 2026, and what to do with the piles they won’t take.
The short version: use your green container every week. From November through January, city customers can pile extra leaves and limbs in the street for the claw. From February through October, a free junk pickup appointment can include yard waste. For anything bigger, heavier or outside those rules, self-haul it or have it hauled.
Your weekly green container
If you have city garbage service, your organics container is collected every week, year-round, on your usual collection day. It takes leaves, grass clippings, prunings and small branches, plus food scraps. It’s the cheapest way to handle yard waste, so fill it first every week, even during leaf season.
- Keep leaves and clippings loose. No plastic bags in organics containers.
- Pet waste never goes in yard waste; it goes in the garbage.
- Branches have to fit with the lid closed. Anything longer goes in a pile or a pickup.
Leaf season: November through January
Every year, from November through January, City of Sacramento solid waste customers can put excess yard waste in piles on the street, and the city’s claw trucks collect them. In 2026, leaf season begins November 2. The claw makes several passes on each street during the season, and the city posts estimated collection dates in its SacRecycle collection calendar and app. Dates change often with the weather and leaf volume, so check them regularly.
Leaf pile rules
| Rule | What the city asks |
|---|---|
| Size | No more than five cubic yards, about 4 ft × 4 ft × 9 ft. |
| Limbs | Cut to 3 feet or less, no more than 4 inches in diameter. |
| Placement | Six feet from cars, boats, basketball hoops and other obstructions, with a gap between the curb and the pile so water can reach the storm drain. Avoid bike lanes. |
| Contents | Yard waste only. No food waste, no pet waste, no plastic bags. |
| Holiday trees | Accepted in the pile once lights and decorations are removed. |
Not every city address gets leaf season service. Your property has to be on a public street with a curb and gutter. Private streets, apartment buildings with five or more units and commercial properties don’t get it.
February through October: add it to a junk pickup
Outside leaf season, City of Sacramento customers can include yard waste in one of their two free Household Junk Pickup appointments. The yard waste has to be kept clearly separate from the junk, and the whole pile still has to fit within 4 by 4 by 9 feet. The same limb limits apply: 3 feet long and no more than 4 inches thick. Stumps thicker than 4 inches, dirt, rock and sod heavy with soil aren’t accepted. The full rules are in our guide to City of Sacramento junk pickup.
Outside the City of Sacramento
Leaf season street piles are a City of Sacramento service. If you live in unincorporated Sacramento County or in another city, like Elk Grove, Citrus Heights or Rancho Cordova, you still have a green waste cart, but extra yard waste is handled through your own city or county hauler, each with its own bulky pickup rules, limits and seasons. Check your hauler’s rules before you put anything in the street; a pile left out where there is no street collection can be treated as illegal dumping. Our Sacramento County page links to local pages for each area we serve.
Self-hauling yard waste
If you have a truck or trailer, you can take green waste to a transfer station or landfill yourself. City customers also get a dump coupon each year with the city’s service guide, good for one free load at the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station on Fruitridge Road. Tarp and tie down every load; loose branches and leaves blowing off a trailer are a hazard on the road.
Keep yard waste separate from other junk when you self-haul. Clean green waste is usually handled differently from mixed trash, and mixing them can cost you more.
When it makes sense to hire a hauler
Yard projects often produce more than any of the city programs can take at once: a few trees’ worth of cut limbs, a hillside of pulled ivy, bamboo, old fencing and a pile of broken pavers. That’s when a crew helps. We haul branches and yard waste once they’re cut into pieces we can carry. We don’t cut down trees or chop up branches, so have your tree service, gardener or your own saw do the cutting and piling first. We load it, haul it and rake up the spot. See yard debris removal in Sacramento.
Pricing is by truck space: a small pile starts at $74, a standard pickup at $149 and a full truck at $749. Dirt, rock, sod and concrete edging are heavy, so they’re priced by weight, with a free quote from a photo first. Green waste goes to composting where possible.
Some recent yard jobs from our records, labeled with the customer’s city:
- Sacramento, September: green waste from tree and bush trimming, plus dead leaves.
- Sacramento, August: a full truck of tree trimmings, shrubs and bamboo.
- Orangevale, August: bamboo cuttings, branches and stalks.
- Cameron Park, August: a full truck of green waste, tree branches and debris.
- Carmichael, August: a pile of tree branches, about half a truck.
- Elk Grove, August: leaves, loose branches and yard waste.
“Thank you very much for your speedy response time, quick work of my tree branches, and professionalism throughout the time at my home. I will definitely call again for your help on my next job.”
Tim H., Google review
Comparing your options
| Option | Cost | Limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green container | Included in city service | What fits with the lid closed | Weekly clippings and leaves |
| Leaf season pile | Free, Nov-Jan | 5 cu yd; limbs 3 ft × 4 in | Fall leaf drop and winter pruning |
| Junk pickup appointment | Free, twice a year, Feb-Oct | Shared 4 × 4 × 9 ft pile | Spring and summer prune piles |
| Self-haul | Dump coupon or tip fee | Your truck and time | People with a trailer and a helper |
| Junk removal crew | From $74 | Cut into pieces we can carry | Big piles, mixed debris, deadlines |
Tips for a faster cleanup
- Cut as you prune. Cutting limbs to 3 feet while you work saves a second pass and meets the city limit.
- Separate heavy material. Keep dirt, rock and sod apart from branches; they’re handled differently and priced by weight, with a free quote.
- Watch for palm fronds and bamboo. Both are bulky and tough on bins; bundle them flat.
- Don’t put piles out early. Outside leaf season, junk pickup piles can go out no more than 24 hours before the appointment.
- Clear around the house. Dead brush and branches near the walls and fences are worth removing before the dry months.
Frequently asked questions
City of Sacramento customers can put yard waste out with a Household Junk Pickup appointment from February through October, or in a street pile during leaf season from November through January. Either way, limbs have to be cut to 3 feet long and no more than 4 inches thick. For bigger piles, a hauler can take everything once it’s cut into pieces that can be carried.
The City of Sacramento’s leaf season runs November through January. In 2026 it begins November 2. Eligible residents can pile leaves and yard waste in the street, and the city’s claw truck collects them several times over the season.
No. Leaf piles and organics containers shouldn’t contain plastic bags. Put leaves loose in your green container or loose in your leaf season pile.
No. Stumps thicker than 4 inches, dirt, rock and sod with a lot of soil attached aren’t accepted in the city’s junk pickup. Those have to be self-hauled or picked up by a hauler.
No. We haul branches and yard waste once they’re cut into pieces we can carry. We don’t cut down trees or chop up branches, so have your tree service or gardener cut and pile first.
We price by truck space: a small pile starts at $74, a standard pickup at $149 and a full truck at $749. Dirt, rock and sod are heavy, so they’re priced by weight, with a free quote from a photo.
Big pile, no truck? Call Discard Junk Removal at (916) 866-1152, or see yard debris removal. We answer 24/7.
