How to Recycle Yard Waste
Leaves, grass clippings, small branches, and garden trimmings.
Quick answer
Compost leaves, grass, and small branches, or set them out for municipal green-waste collection instead of the trash. Many programs ban plastic bags, so use paper yard-waste bags, a reusable bin, or a loose pile unless your local service says otherwise. Before you go, confirm that a local recycling center accepts the material in its current condition.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
How to Prepare
- 1Use paper yard-waste bags, a reusable bin, or a loose pile according to your local collection rule
- 2Bundle branches and twigs separately from loose leaves and clippings
- 3Keep branches under your program's size limit, commonly 4-6 inches in diameter
- 4Set diseased or pest-infested plants out with regular trash instead, since composting can spread the problem
- 5Ask before using a bag labeled compostable; many facilities reject it because it does not break down in time
- 6Check your city's collection calendar, since many areas only run seasonal pickup
Where to Recycle
- Municipal yard waste programs
- Composting facilities
- Mulch producers
- Home composting
Special Instructions
Plastic contamination is the reason most yard-waste programs enforce strict bagging rules: it doesn't break down, gets ground into the finished compost, and is nearly impossible to hand-sort at the scale a compost facility runs. Charleston County, SC banned plastic bags at its facility for exactly that reason. Seattle went further and banned green and brown bags that looked compostable, after residents kept assuming the color meant it was. Paper bags and loose piles are the near-universal accepted alternative, though the exact rule varies by city.
Environmental Impact
Composting yard waste instead of landfilling it avoids methane emissions and returns organic matter and nutrients to soil as finished compost or mulch.
Sustainable Alternatives
- Compost small amounts at home to skip collection entirely
- Grasscycle by leaving clippings on the lawn
- Chip larger branches into mulch for your own garden
Official guidance and resources
Accepted items and drop-off rules can vary by location. Check the destination before you go.
What’s Accepted
Not Accepted
- Plastic bags of any kind, banned by many programs
- Branches larger than your program's diameter limit
- Diseased or pest-infested plant material
- Treated or painted wood
Related recycling guides
Recycle yard waste
Search recycling centers by city or ZIP, or explore more organic waste materials.