County Programs
Mulch Program

Residents of Santa Barbara County may obtain mulch for use at their homes, gardens, and businesses in the following ways:

Free Mulch Pile

A free mulch pile is maintained at the South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station (SCRTC), located at 4430 Calle Real, in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara. The free pile is accessible to households at all times during the day throughout the year. Simply bring your vehicle (truck, van, sedan), a pair of gloves and a compost fork (a shovel works less well) and help yourself to as much mulch as you like. A tarp is recommended for open bed trucks.

Qualified trucks (no pickup trucks or trailers) may also be loaded with mulch at the SCRTC for a loading fee of $15.00. Call the SCRTC at (805) 681-4345 for more details.

Delivery of Mulch

The County also delivers mulch in the following types of vehicles for a fee of $10.00 per ton:

• Dump truck (up to 3 tons/8 cubic yards);
• Roll-Off Truck (up to 10 tons/35 cubic yards);
• Semi-truck (up to 20 tons/70 cubic yards).

Sites where semi- and roll-off deliveries are proposed may be subject to pre-delivery inspection to ensure safe access. Residents who request mulch to be delivered must review, sign, and return a Purchase Agreement/Liability Waiver form, before delivery can be made.

To schedule a delivery of mulch, call (805) 681-4981. Mulch may usually be delivered within one to two weeks of a request, depending upon prior delivery commitments, availability of trucking resources, and weather conditions.

Benefits of Using Mulch

There are several benefits in using mulch for your landscaping and gardening needs:

• Increases the soil's organic content;
• Reduces water usage by minimizing evaporation;
• Controls soil erosion;
• Suppresses weed growth;
• Provides nutrients; and
• Builds sound root structures.

Where does the County's mulch come from?

The mulch comes from your own garden and landscape. Green waste (i.e. grass clippings, dried leaves, branches, and other organic yard trimmings) generated by residents and commercial businesses on the South Coast is collected at the curbside by private hauling companies and delivered to the SCRTS or the SYVRTS, where it is processed into mulch. The other sources of mulch come from self-hauled green waste brought to these facilities by homeowners, tree trimming and gardening services.

Who uses the County's mulch?

The mulch produced by the County is distributed to a variety of end users. The largest end use is in agricultural applications, such as avocado and citrus orchards, commercial nurseries and vineyards. The mulch is also used by a diverse group of organizations, such as the following:

• Churches;
• Schools;
• Public parks such as the Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens;
• Private estates such as Lotus Land;
• Nonprofit organizations such as the Urban Creeks Council and Goleta Beautiful for habitat restoration and beautification projects; and
• A large number of private residences.

Curbside green waste collected in the North County is used by the Engel and Gray Regional Composting Facility in Santa Maria as a compost feedstock.

How clean is the County's mulch?

A Quality Assurance/Control Program ensures the production of a clean product that may be safely applied to ornamentals, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens. Through their franchise agreements with the County, private solid waste hauling companies are responsible for ensuring that residentially collected green waste has a low level of contaminants. Painted and treated plywood and creosoted woods are removed prior to grinding, and electromagnets recover ferrous metals. Processed mulch cures for two to three days to generate enough heat to destroy some weed seeds. There will be a small percentage (one to four percent by volume) of inert and film plastics, which are virtually impossible to remove without expensive equipment. In the event that processed mulch becomes contaminated before distribution, it is used internally. To date, the County has not received any complaints or anecdotal evidence that use of its mulch has resulted in any damage to plants or caused human health problems.

How much mulch will I need?

Determining the amount of mulch that you will need depends upon the size of the area you wish to apply the mulch to and the depth of application. In addition, mulch will break down over time and will need to be reapplied periodically in order to continue the benefits of its use. There are approximately 3.5 cubic yards per ton of County mulch. This ratio will vary slightly depending on the moisture content. The following general application rates may assist you in determining what your needs will be:

For home applications:

• 3 inch application: 1 cubic yard wll cover approximately 109 square feet;
• 4 inch application: 1 cubic yard will cover approximately 81 square feet;
• 6 inch application: 1 cubic yard will cover approximately 54 square feet;

For orchard applications:

• 4 inch application: 538 cubic yards or 154 tons will cover 1 acre;
• 6 inch application: 807 cubic yards or 231 tons will cover 1 acre;
• 8 inch application: 1,076 cubic yards or 307 tons will cover 1 acre.

If you have any questions regarding the County's mulch program, please call (805) 681-4981.

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Copyright © 2000 Santa Barbara County Public Works Department
Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division

Last updated: May 11, 2007