Yard Waste Disposal

Yard waste is vegetative waste resulting from the care and maintenance of landscaped areas, lawns, and gardens. Yard waste includes:

• leaves
• grass clippings
• brush
• garden wastes
• tree trunks
• holiday trees
• prunings from trees or shrubs

Yard waste that is separated from other solid wastes at the point of generation and placed into a container is considered to be source separated, i.e. grass clippings or leaves collected in plastic or paper bags or bins would be considered source separated yard waste. Whereas, yard wastes combined with other solid wastes in the same container are referred to as commingled yard waste.

Some communities already require residents to source separate yard waste from the general trash; others do not. Contact your city, solid waste management district, or the company which picks up your trash to find out what your community requires. In many areas, landfills are not permitted to accept mixed or source-separated yard waste for disposal, except under specific circumstances.