Kern County, CA
Green Waste Recycling
Metro Bakersfield
Residents:
Bakersfield and the adjacent unincorporated area, have curbside green waste pickup using green-colored, green waste containers. The program accepts grass clippings, leaves, and branches less than 24 inches in diameter. Palm tree material and creosote-treated wood IS NOT accepted.
Large garden clean-ups and landscape/garden professionals:
The City of Bakersfield operates a facility to handle large amounts of green waste from landscape/garden professionals or from large residential garden clean-ups. Palm tree material and creosote-treated wood IS NOT accepted.
The City of Bakersfield Green Waste Facility
2601 South Mount Vernon Avenue, Bakersfield
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: (661) 835-8873
Outlying Areas of Kern County
Grass clippings, tree branches, and construction lumber can be recycled at various disposal sites throughout the County. Details follow:
Bena Landfill
Accepts segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. Bena also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Glennville Transfer Station
Accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Lebec Transfer Station
Accepts segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. The Lebec Transfer Station also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Mojave Landfill
Accepts segregated grass clippings, manure in a separate area for composting. Mojave also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
McFarland-Delano Transfer Station
Accepts segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. The McFarland-Delano Transfer Station also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Ridgecrest and Tehachapi Landfills
Accept segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. Ridgecrest and Tehachapi also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Shafter-Wasco Landfill
Accepts segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. Shafter-Wasco also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
Taft Landfill
Accepts segregated grass clippings, leaves and manure in a separate area for composting. Taft also accepts tree trimmings and construction lumber.
City of Wasco Wood Waste Facility
Accepts tree trimmings.
Seasonal Programs
Christmas Tree Recycling
Most of the trees collected are ground and used as erosion control, co-generation fuel or as a bulking agent for compost.
Program Info
The Christmas Tree Recycling Program is a collaborative effort between the department, municipalities and area community groups which takes place the three weeks following Christmas. There are several recycling options for Kern County Residents:
- County Disposal Sites with an existing wood recovery program accept trees for recycling.
- Residents can also take cut trees to the City of Bakersfield's Greenwaste Facility.
- Metro-Bakersfield residents can cut their tree into small pieces and place it into the green waste container as long as the lid of the container closes. Please remove nails, decorations, stands and tree bags.
There are numerous drop-off locations throughout the County. See the link below to find Christmas Tree drop-off locations & tree pick-up organizations. - There are several local non-profit community organizations in Metro-Bakersfield who will pick up your tree for a fee. See the link below to find Christmas Tree drop-off locations & tree pick-up organizations.
For a List of Recycling Locations Click Here to go to the Press Release
Residential Info
Backyard Composting
Benefits:
Organic wastes, such as food waste and yard waste, make up 25 to 50% of what people throw away. While you may not be able to compost all of the organic waste you generate, composting can significantly cut down on your overall trash.
When we throw away yard and food waste, it decomposes in a landfill and releases methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas. While most landfills have technology to capture much of this methane, eliminating the gas at its source is even better.