Acceptable yard trimmings (inside cart): - Grass, leaves, twigs, pruned clippings*
- Branches less than 6 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length*
* For extra yard trimmings cart collection, call Recology at 650-967-3034 for an extra pick up at no cost (if collected on same day as recycling). Put extra yard trimmings in open-top bags or other containers marked "extra yard trimmings" visible to the driver.
** For collection of large branches, call Recology at 650-967-3034 for an On Call Plus Collection (free to most residents) or a Special Collection (fee for apartments). A reduced rate recycling box is available for large amounts of yard trimmings by calling Recology above.
Unacceptable yard trimmings (dispose as garbage):
- Food Waste, Scraps or Produce*
- Fruits*
- Vegetables*
- Bamboo
- Cactus
- Ice plant
- Yucca
- Palm fronds
- Poison oak/ivy
- Plastic plant pots**
- Plastic tarps
- Garden hoses
- Plastic plant identifiers stakes or tags
- Dirt, soil, concrete
- Wood landscape materials such as bender boards, mow strips, arbors, trellises, pickets, fences, railroad ties, and wood used for retaining walls.
* The City, through the Bay-Friendly Gardening Program, offers compost workshops for residents wanting to recycle food waste, fruits, vegetables and other yard trimmings.
** Plastic plant pots are not compostable or recyclable even if marked with a recycling symbol. Only plastic bottles or food/beverage tubs are accepted for recycling if marked with a recycling symbol #1 through #7).
What to Do with Fall Leaves?
Put leaves in your yard trimmings cart or compost them in your backyard. Please do not pile them in the street unless you are in the special street sweeping area (650-903-6329).
Piles of fallen leaves offer the perfect opportunity to create compost in your backyard. Composting is the natural decomposition of organic materials into a fertile soil amendment. Composting is easy, fun and educational. If you start this Fall, you will have nutrient-rich compost ready in time for planting your Spring garden.
How Can I learn More About Composting?
Attend workshops offered by the City through the Bay-Friendly Gardening Program (see below). These workshops are held throughout the year at various locations. Registration is required and can be made by visiting www.reducewaste.org or call 408-918-4640.
In addition, you can also join neighborhood composters by searching the web. Visit Peninsula Composting Club, which is a peer-to-peer email support network of Bay Area composting enthusiasts eager to share their experiences and learn from others' experiences. Search for other groups at http://groups.google.com. Visit the City's Neighborhoods webpage to view Mountain View Neighborhood Associations to see if they have a neighborhood composting group or blog.
Bay Friendly Gardening Program
The Bay-Friendly Gardening program was developed to encourage residents to make environmentally friendly gardening choices to reduce waste and protect the watersheds of the San Francisco Bay. There are workshops on composting, natural pest control, green gardening practices and sustainable landscape design. Visit www.reducewaste.org for more information.
Where Can I Go For Free, Ready-To-Use Compost?
Mountain View residents may pick up free compost and mulch at the SMaRT Station seven days a week, which is located at 301 Carl Road at the intersection of Carribbean Drive and Borregas Avenue in Sunnyvale (408-752-8530). 
Recology collects yard trimmings throughout the community and brings it to the SMaRT Station in Sunnyvale for processing into mulch for top dressing soil or for composting. The material is sent to the Z-Best composting facility in Gilroy and returned to the SMaRT Station as finished landscape compost. The finished compost is loose (unbagged) and available to Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Los Altos residents.
Please bring your own shovel and container to load and transport the material. There is a limit of one truck load per week. These materials are provided to residents at no charge.
