How to Recycle Grass Clippings
Fresh lawn clippings. Prefer leaving them on the turf (grasscycling); otherwise compost as nitrogen-rich greens or set them out with municipal yard waste.
Quick answer
Grasscycle first. Leave clippings on the lawn with a mulching mower so they return nitrogen and never fill a bag. If you must remove them, add thin layers to a compost pile as greens, or use municipal yard-waste collection in paper bags or a green cart, never the recycling bin. Before you go, confirm that a local recycling center accepts the material in its current condition.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
How to Prepare
- 1Grasscycle first: mow often, remove no more than one-third of the blade, and leave clippings on the lawn
- 2Bag only when clippings are wet, heavy, or left in clumps after a missed cut
- 3If composting, add thin layers as greens and mix with dry leaves or other browns
- 4Use paper yard bags or a green cart for municipal pickup; skip ordinary plastic bags
- 5Do not put clippings in the blue recycling bin
- 6Keep herbicide-treated lawn waste out of backyard compost; follow city rules for that material instead
Where to Recycle
- On the lawn (grasscycling)
- Backyard compost piles
- Curbside yard-waste / green cart
- Municipal compost drop-off
Special Instructions
Oregon State Extension: clippings are roughly 3-4% nitrogen, 0.5% phosphorus, and 2.5-3.5% potassium by weight, can cut fertilizer need nearly in half with a mulching mower, and do not cause thatch. EPA home composting lists grass as a nitrogen-rich green and advises against herbicide-treated plants and grass in backyard piles. Illinois EPA lists leaving clippings on the lawn as a primary alternative under the state's landscape-waste landfill ban. Thick wet mats of clippings go slimy and anaerobic; thin layers or grasscycling avoid that.
Environmental Impact
Grasscycling keeps nitrogen on the lawn and out of bags. When clippings are collected, they feed the same yard-trimmings stream EPA measured at 35.4 million tons generated and 22.3 million tons composted or mulched in 2018. Landfilling grass contributes to the roughly 10.5 million tons of yard trimmings still buried that year.
Sustainable Alternatives
- Mulching mower and more frequent cuts so you never bag
- Use thin layers of clippings as garden mulch away from stems if the lawn was not recently treated
- Share surplus untreated clippings with a neighbor who composts
Official guidance and resources
Accepted items and drop-off rules can vary by location. Check the destination before you go.
What’s Accepted
Accepted
- Fresh grass clippings left on the lawn
- Thin layers of untreated clippings in home compost
- Clippings in paper yard bags or green carts for municipal programs
Not Accepted
- Clippings in the blue recycling cart
- Ordinary plastic bags of grass at many compost facilities
- Herbicide-treated grass in backyard compost (EPA home-composting avoid list)
- Thick wet mats dumped in one spot without browns
FAQs
Do grass clippings cause thatch?
No. Oregon State Extension research finds clippings do not cause thatch. Thatch is mostly stems and roots. Leaving short clippings on the lawn is the preferred default.
Can I compost grass treated with weed killer?
Not in a backyard pile. EPA's home composting guidance says to avoid herbicide-treated plants and grass. Use municipal yard-waste rules for that material, or check the product label and your city's guidance.
When should I bag clippings?
When they are wet, heavy, or left in clumps after you skipped a mowing. Otherwise leave them. If you bag for the city, use paper bags or the green cart, not plastic and not recycling.
Are clippings 'recyclable'?
They are compostable and fine for green-waste programs. They are not recyclable in the blue-bin / MRF sense. Haulers often say yard waste is not recyclable meaning keep it out of the recycling cart.
Recycle grass clippings
Search recycling centers by city or ZIP, or explore more yard waste materials.