Residents Can Pickup Free Compost in Brea, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano

SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) invites Orange County residents to a countywide Community Compost Giveaway on Saturday, October 3, from 7:30 a.m. to noon, while supplies last. The event offers free, ready-to-use compost produced from green waste collected from homes throughout Orange County.

"This giveaway brings recycling full circle: Green waste collected from Orange County homes is turned into compost and returned to residents for their yards and gardens," said Tom Koutroulis, Director of OC Waste & Recycling. "Instead of ending up in a landfill, those materials return to our communities as compost that provides nutrients to the soil."

Free compost will be available at three OCWR locations:

• 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

At the Irvine and San Juan Capistrano locations, residents should bring their own containers or heavy-duty yard waste bags and a shovel to load compost. At the Brea location, prefilled bags will be distributed and limited to four bags per household, while supplies last.

OCWR's compost carries the Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) from the U.S. Composting Council, confirming that it meets strict safety and quality standards. OCWR compost and mulch are also certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and are OMRI Listed, confirming compliance with the USDA National Organic Program. The material is also licensed as Organic Input Materials (OIM) by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

Composting organic material returns valuable nutrients to the soil while reducing waste sent to landfills and helping preserve valuable landfill capacity for the County's long-term waste management needs.

Residents can learn more about recycling and proper disposal options for common and hard-to-recycle items by visiting OCrecycleguide.com.

Orange County residents are also encouraged to safely dispose of hazardous household materials, such as batteries, paint, and household cleaners, at the County's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano. The centers are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information about the Community Compost Giveaway, visit OClandfills.com. The event is subject to weather and compost is available while supplies last.

About OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR)
OCWR serves the County's solid waste disposal needs through resource recovery, operating public landfills, protecting the local environment, investing in renewable energy enterprises and promoting recycling to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations. The department manages one of the nation's premier solid waste disposal systems and three composting greenery sites, all serving residents and businesses in the County's 34 cities and its unincorporated areas. OCWR's three active landfills and compost greeneries reflect environmental engineering at its best. For more information on our compost and mulch program, please visit our website at OClandfills.com/green2u.

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SOURCE Orange County - OC Waste & Recycling