January 2026 Greener Davis Environmental News

Yard Material Pile Reminders

Recology Davis continues to perform yard material pile pick-up every other week. The last pick-up will be the week of February 23. Make sure your pile is prepared:



• Piles cannot be placed out on the street for more than seven days before pick-up.
• Fill your organics cart first BEFORE placing piles on the street for collection. In order to keep our streets clean and ensure that yard material piles can get collected quickly and efficiently, small amounts of yard materials should always be placed in the cart.
• Include only branches, leaves and cut holiday trees in your piles. All other yard materials must be placed in your organics cart for weekly collection.
• Place your pile directly adjacent to your property and not across the street or around the corner.
• Piles cannot be placed in any portion of a bike lane.
• Make sure your pile is not larger than 5 feet in any direction.

More information on yard material collection.  

Don't Rush to Flush

The toilet is not a trash can -- only flush toilet paper! Just a small amount of household waste flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain can clog pipes and cause messy sewer backups that can ruin your home in an instant.

Sink drains, even kitchen sinks with a garbage disposal, are not built to handle waste. Place food scraps and fruit and vegetable peels in your organics bin instead of your garbage disposal.

More information is available on our Down the Drain flier.

What to Do When the Weather Changes

When the weather changes and you need to grab an umbrella, remember to let the rain do the work in watering your yard. Turn off your irrigation at the timer and at the irrigation shut-off valve (if your property has one). Turning irrigation off at the valve ensures the system is isolated and will not allow water into it if the timer malfunctions.

Other reminders:

• Consider adding a rain sensor to turn your system off when it is raining or upgrade to a weather-based irrigation timer that will water based on weather conditions.
• Check the back-up batteries in your timer so that it will not reset with a power outage.
• If you have a wi-fi-enabled timer and/or phone app timer, be sure to check for app and software updates and watch to make sure the updates don’t reset your irrigation system to factory-default programming.
• Most importantly, monitor your water usage in AquaHawk. Sign-up for AquaHawk, if not already registered, and find helpful information on using AquaHawk to assist in finding leaks on the City’s website.

Pet Waste - Proper Disposal of Dog Poop

Although dog poop bags are often green in color and might even be labeled as compostable, dog and cat poop cannot be placed in the organics bin or in yard material piles - it must be placed in the trash. The local composting facility that accepts our organic waste does not accept dog or cat poop.

Lately, we have seen an increased number of yard material piles with dog poop bags in them. The bags of dog poop are contaminants in the composting facility and if the bag breaks or falls apart, the dog poop can make its way into our storm drain system and local waterways.

Please remember to dispose of dog poop bags in public trash cans along your path or at home after you complete your walk. Never toss dog poop bags into yard material piles. Be a good neighbor, and don’t drop your bag of dog poop into someone else’s trash cart either. 

Wildlife Spotlight: California Toad

The California toad (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus) is a subspecies of Western toad that is widespread throughout California. It is the most commonly encountered amphibian here in Davis as it is well adapted to using backyards, greenbelts and local stormwater detention basins for habitat. Despite this, their numbers have been in decline locally and statewide as human caused environmental pollutants (ex. pesticides, surfactants, petroleum byproducts) have negative impacts on them. Habitat disturbance and the breaking of migratory corridors has also contributed to their decline.

These cute little toads can range in size, but grow no larger than 5 inches in length. They have round bodies with dry, warty skin. This warty skin is believed to assist with moisture retention, but also contains a toxin that can help protect them from being eaten. California toads range in color from light tan to dark olive depending on their location. They all have a light-colored stripe running down their backs.

Like most amphibians, California toads lay their eggs in water, where the newly hatched larvae finish developing into the adult form before moving onto land. They do not do well in ponds where predatory fish or non-native bullfrogs live. Once young toads emerge from the water, they seek cover in upland locations within burrows, rotten logs, rock piles, etc. 



California toads are primarily active at night when they eat small insects, worms, slugs and snails. They may switch to become more active during the day in the spring when they can be observed in great congregations as they migrate from breeding ponds to upland areas. They become inactive when the weather is too hot, dry or cold. 

More information about California toads

Carton Recycling

Remember to save up those cartons! Recology Davis has a 24/7 carton recycling drop-off program at the Recology Recycling Center, 2727 2nd St. They accept empty and rinsed milk, juice, soup, broth and other gable-top and aseptic (shelf-stable) cartons and ice cream cartons for drop-off recycling.

Learn more about the carton recycling pilot program.