Yard waste and green waste removal
Across the San Fernando Valley
“They were able to remove our 30 bags of yard trimmings and giant rotted wood pieces (size of a box spring mattress) in 10 minutes.”
5.0 on Google from 463 reviews
How do I get rid of a lot of yard waste?
Bag it or pile it, then text us a photo. We text back a price, carry it out from the back or side yard, load it and sweep up. Branches, trimmings, old fencing and landscaping all go in one trip. For ongoing yard projects, a dumpster can be cheaper; we'll tell you which makes sense.
What we take
- Bagged leaves and trimmings
- Branches and brush
- Old sod, plants and planters
- Rotted wood, fencing and lattice
- Old patio furniture and umbrellas
Ask us first
- Dirt, rock and concrete: tell us the amount; heavy loads are priced differently.
- We don't take paint, chemicals (like motor oil and solvents), tires, asbestos, medical waste, ammunition or propane tanks, empty or full. We'll point you to the right drop-off.
Before
AfterHow it works
Most jobs go from first text to swept-up driveway the same way.
How much does yard waste removal cost?
Pricing is based on how much truck space your items take up, plus labor. Free photo quotes by text: send photos and get an exact price. Stairs, long carries and heavy material like concrete or dirt change the number. Your quote includes loading, hauling, disposal and sweep-up. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Text us a few photos and your ZIP. You get a price back by text, and that's the number you pay unless what's there is different from what was in the photos.
Fastest quote: text photos of your items to (909) 566-3090.
Most yard waste has a free home already: the green bin. The trouble comes when a weekend of pruning produces more than a month of bins can hold, or when the pile includes things the bin won't take. This page covers the green-bin rules in LA and the nearby cities, the free brush option, and when a one-time haul-away is the better call.
What's included, step by step
- Photo of the pile and the path. Show where the waste sits, where the truck can park, and any steps, slopes or gates on the way out.
- A price by text. It's based on how much truck space the load takes, plus the carry.
- Carry-out and loading. Bags, branches, brush, old planters and rotted wood are carried from the back or side yard and loaded.
- Sweep and rake. Leaves and small debris left on the patio or driveway get swept up.
Crews move this kind of pile fast. One customer described a hedge job on Google:
I called Legacy on a Sunday and I scheduled them for Monday to pick up a pretty sizable pile of yard waste from a massive privacy hedge I’d cut back. They were super fast, very professional, show up with a glossy new truck and trailer, and charged me less than half the quote I’d gotten prior. Highly recommend!
Before the crew comes
- Cut limbs and trunks into pieces one person can carry.
- Pull out dirt, rock and concrete, or tell us how much there is.
- Separate treated lumber, railroad ties and painted wood.
- Move pesticide, herbicide and pool chemical containers out of the pile.
- Unlock side gates and tie back dogs.
- Keep filling your green bin as usual; it's still the free option.
California and LA rules that apply
SB 1383 and the green bin
SB 1383 set a target of 75% less organic waste going to landfills by 2025,[1] and it requires single-family residents to use their local organics collection program and sort organic waste into the right containers.[2] Under the law, "organic waste" covers green material, landscape and pruning waste, and lumber and wood, as well as food and paper.[2]
In the City of LA, every resident is required to put food waste and green waste in the green bin.[3] Single-family homes and duplexes get a 90-gallon green bin,[4] and it takes grass, flowers, tree and bush trimmings and clean untreated wood, but not plastic bags or pet waste.[3] The lid must close or the bin may not be collected.[4]
LA's free annual brush pickup
LA Sanitation gives each household it serves one free collection of extra yard trimmings and brush per year. Bundles must be tied, no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 30 pounds, and you book through MyLA311 or 1-800-773-2489.[5] Tying a whole hedge into 30-pound bundles is real work, but it's free.
Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena
| City | Green cart | Bulky pickup and yard waste |
|---|---|---|
| Burbank | Yard trimmings, branches and food scraps; no dirt or horse manure[6] | Won't take yard waste[7] |
| Glendale | Yard trimmings and food scraps; 96-gallon cart, under 200 lbs[8],[9] | Buildings with a private hauler can book up to 10 green bundles per appointment[10] |
| Pasadena | Food waste now goes in the yard waste container[11] | Won't take landscaping debris[12] |
Burbank carts can't hold more than 200 pounds,[13] and the City lets gardeners haul garden trimmings as part of their gardening business.[14] In Altadena, each on-call bulky pickup can include 10 bags or bundles of green waste.[15]
What isn't green waste
Chemically treated wood must be handled as hazardous waste,[16] and Burbank puts railroad ties and other treated woods in the same category.[17] Pesticides, herbicides and pool chemicals go to a hazardous waste facility, not the trash.[16] Dirt and rock don't belong in green carts, and LA's bulky program won't take construction materials such as concrete, bricks and dirt.[18]
What affects the price
- How much there is. A few dozen bags and a full hedge take very different amounts of truck space.
- The carry. A pile at the curb loads in minutes; a pile down a hillside staircase takes longer.
- What's mixed in. Dirt, sod, rock and broken concrete are heavy and change the number.
- Loose vs. cut. Long, uncut limbs and tangled brush take more handling than bundled or bagged material.
- Parking. Narrow hillside streets, sweeping days and Red Flag closures can affect timing.
Free city options vs. paying a hauler
The green bin plus the annual brush pickup handles a lot. It's the best choice when you can spread the pile over several weeks, bundle it to size, and wait for the scheduled day.
A hauler earns its fee when the pile is too big to feed through a bin, when you've already used your brush pickup, when the waste is mixed with things the bin won't take, or when you need the yard clear for an event, a sale or a landscaper who starts Monday. Hillside homes add one more wrinkle: on LA Red Flag days, parking is banned on posted streets in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and illegally parked vehicles are towed.[19]
Text photos for a priceor call (909) 566-3090
Where it goes afterward
Clean green material can be composted or processed rather than buried, which is the point of SB 1383. Food scraps, yard trimmings, paper and cardboard make up half of what Californians send to landfills,[1] so keeping branches out of the trash matters. Transfer stations near the Valley, such as WM's Sun Valley Recycling Park, list green waste among the materials they take,[20] and Simi Valley Landfill accepts green waste too.[21]
Treated wood, chemicals and anything hazardous stay out of a green load; they belong at a hazardous waste drop-off.
Related guides and areas
What customers said about this job
Great service! Ricardo and his crew are prompt, professional and hard working. They were able to remove our 30 bags of yard trimmings and giant rotted wood pieces (size of a box spring mattress) in 10 minutes. We highly recommend this company!
Ricardo and Brian showed up the same morning and moved my annual junk pile quickly and cleanly, at a great price! Last year, I paid GotJunk twice as much and they took a perfectly good pop up canopy set that was not part of my junk pile and then couldn't find it afterwards. Not so with Legacy. Family owned and what a great family!
Where we do this
Based in North Hollywood, working mostly within 10 miles: the east and central San Fernando Valley and the neighborhoods just over the hill.
Yard waste removal: questions
Does yard waste need to be bagged?
No. Bags load a little faster, but loose piles, branches and brush are fine as long as the crew can reach them. If you do bag, skip the plastic for anything headed to your own green bin, since LA asks residents to keep plastic bags out of it.
Can you take a whole tree after it's cut down?
Yes, once it's been cut into pieces a person can carry. Tree felling and stump grinding are jobs for a tree service; after they're done, the trunk sections, limbs and brush can be loaded and hauled in one trip. Leave the pieces somewhere the crew can reach without crossing flower beds.
Should I just use my green bin instead?
For routine trimmings, yes. City of LA residents are required to put green waste in the green bin every week, and it's already paid for. The bin stops making sense when the pile would take weeks of pickups to clear, or when the material isn't allowed in it, like dirt, rock or treated lumber.
What goes in the LA green bin?
Grass clippings, flowers, tree and bush trimmings and clean, untreated wood, along with food scraps and food-soiled paper. Plastic bags, pet waste and so-called compostable plastics stay out. The lid has to close, or the bin may be skipped. Heavy branches are easier to fit if you cut them short first.
Does the City of LA pick up extra brush for free?
Once a year. Households served by LA Sanitation get one free collection of extra yard trimmings and brush. Each bundle has to be tied, no longer than four feet and no heavier than 30 pounds. Book it through MyLA311 or 1-800-773-2489.
Will city bulky pickup take yard waste?
Generally no. Burbank's bulky pickup lists yard waste among the things it won't take, and Pasadena's excludes landscaping debris. In Glendale, buildings served by a private hauler can use a bulky appointment for up to 10 bundles of green waste instead of bulky items.
Is green waste recycled?
It's one of the easier things to recycle. State law counts yard trimmings, pruning waste and lumber as organic waste, and SB 1383 aimed for 75% less organic waste in landfills by 2025. A green load with no trash, dirt or treated wood mixed in is the easiest kind to send somewhere other than a landfill.
Can you get to a backyard on a hillside?
Yes. Tell us about the steps, gates, slope and how far the pile is from where the truck can park, and send a photo of the path. On Red Flag days in LA's high fire hazard zones, parking is banned on posted streets, so hillside jobs may need to move to another day.
Can my gardener haul the trimmings instead?
Often. In Burbank, the municipal code lets anyone in the gardening business haul away garden trimmings as part of that work. If your gardener already takes trimmings, a separate pickup is usually only needed for a big one-time cleanup or for material they won't take.
What about dirt, rock and old concrete edging?
Tell us the amount first, because heavy material is priced differently and trucks have weight limits. These can't go in green bins; Burbank's green cart specifically excludes dirt, and LA's bulky pickup won't take concrete, bricks or dirt. A rough measurement of the pile helps us plan.
What about old railroad ties and fence posts?
Be careful with those. Chemically treated wood has to be managed as hazardous waste in California, and Burbank classifies railroad ties and other treated woods as household hazardous waste. Keep them separate from clean green waste and ask about them before pickup day.
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026. Rules, fees and hours change; check with the city or program before you go.
- [1]California's Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy — CalRecycle (calrecycle.ca.gov)
- [2]Statewide Mandatory Organic Waste Collection — CalRecycle (calrecycle.ca.gov)
- [3]Weekly Curbside Green Bin Collection (Organics), LA Sanitation & Environment (sanitation.lacity.gov)
- [4]Curbside Trash Cans and Bins: Guidelines, Repair, and Replacement, LA Sanitation & Environment (sanitation.lacity.gov)
- [5]Annual Brush Pickup, LA Sanitation & Environment (sanitation.lacity.gov)
- [6]Residential Recycling, Public Works (burbankca.gov)
- [7]Bulky Item Pick-Up, Public Works (burbankca.gov)
- [8]Collection Services, Public Works (glendaleca.gov)
- [9]Residential Homes, Glendale Integrated Waste Management (glendalerecycles.com)
- [10]Haulers (FAQs), Glendale Integrated Waste Management (glendalerecycles.com)
- [11]Curbside Organics Recycling, Department of Public Works (cityofpasadena.net)
- [12]Residential Refuse Service & Recycling, Department of Public Works (cityofpasadena.net)
- [13]Solid Waste FAQ's, Public Works (burbankca.gov)
- [14]BMC 4-2-111, subsection E (PDF) (burbankca.gov)
- [15]Altadena/Kinneloa Mesa Rate Sheet and Terms (dated July 1, 2023) (dpw.lacounty.gov)
- [16]Waste Banned from the Trash — CalRecycle (calrecycle.ca.gov)
- [17]Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) (burbankca.gov)
- [18]Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup, LA Sanitation & Environment (sanitation.lacity.gov)
- [19]Red Flag, Los Angeles Fire Department (lafd.org)
- [20]Sun Valley Recycling Park, WMSolutions.com (wmsolutions.com)
- [21]Simi Valley Landfill, WMSolutions.com (wmsolutions.com)
Facilities and organizations mentioned are general local information, not Legacy Junk Removal partners.
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