Orange County has many free compost giveaways scheduled throughout the year that are available to all Orange County residents or residents of specific cities. Additionally free compost and mulch can be requested from OC Landfills.
Compost creates healthier soil by adding organic matter and improving soil structure. Healthy soil uses water more efficiently, allowing available water to flow toward your plants’ roots, storing water in the soil longer, and reducing runoff and erosion.
Upcoming Free Compost Giveaways
Where: Villa Park High School
Address: 18042 Taft Ave, Villa Park, CA 92861
When: Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 8am-12pm
The City of Villa Park and Republic Services will be giving away free compost. On the day of the event, please bring your own containers or buckets for Republic Services staff to fill with compost.
To receive the free compost, residents must provide proof of residency (California driver’s license or utility bill).
More Free Compost Giveaways
OC Waste & Recycling will host free compost giveaways at these locations:
When: Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 7:30am-12pm
Bee Canyon Greenery
Frank R. Bowerman Landfill
11002 Bee Canyon Access Rd., Irvine
Valencia Greenery
Olinda Alpha Landfill
1942 N. Valencia Ave., Brea
Capistrano Greenery
Prima Deshecha Landfill
32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano
How to Get Free Compost & Mulch
OC Waste & Recycling Free Compost Giveaway.
Free Compost & Mulch at OC Landfills: Compost and mulch are currently free from Bee Canyon Greenery at Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine and Capistrano Greenery at Prima Deshecha Landfill in San Juan Capistrano. OC Waste & Recycling is accepting requests for compost and/or mulch from Orange County residents, commercial businesses, local cities and government agencies.
Check the OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) Events schedule. There are several giveaways offered to OC residents throughout the year.
Local waste services like Republic Services and CR&R regularly host free compost giveaway events. They are often coordinated with individual cities.
Cities with Free Compost Giveaways
Most Orange County cities have programs that giveaway free compost to residents. Check with your city for scheduled compost giveaways and annual events or see the city calendar or event pages. To stay informed without checking sign up to city newsletters and follow your city on social media.
Past Examples of City Run Free Compost Days
- Costa Mesa
- Fullerton
- Garden Grove
- Huntington Beach
- Laguna Beach
- Irvine
- Mission Viejo
- Newport Beach
- Placentia
- Santa Ana
- Villa Park
- Yorba Linda
Benefits of Composting
- Helps soil to retain moisture.
- Acts as a fertilizer, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Composting reduces methane emissions from landfills.
- Composting lowers your carbon footprint.
- Compost promotes the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, which is a rich nutrient-filled material.
Did You Know?
According to CalRecycle, yard waste makes up about 22% of what Southern California residents discard each year. Most of this yard waste can be collected for composting or turned into mulch or a mulch-like material used as daily cover at landfills. By keeping your yard waste out of the trash and putting it into the brown yardwaste container, you are making a difference. You are reducing the amount of waste headed to California landfills. You are helping create California jobs at composting and mulching facilities. And you are also supporting a strong ecosystem by making decomposing organic matter available to soil and plants.
Follow these guidelines in filling your yardwaste containers:
- Place these LOOSE materials into the container: grass clippings,
leaves, plants, weeds, brush, limbs, and branches. - Chop and trim limbs and branches so they are no more than 2 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter.
- Do NOT put fibrous palm fronds, cactus, Bird of Paradise, or yucca plants into the container. These must go into the waste container because they get tangled in grinding equipment.