Yard waste disposal — brush, leaves and grass clippings
Yard waste is one of the biggest things households throw out, and one of the easiest to keep out of a landfill. EPA estimated 35.4 million tons of yard trimmings in 2018 — 12.1 percent of municipal solid waste — and 63 percent of it was composted. Several states keep it out of landfills by law, so it usually goes to curbside yard-waste collection or a brush and compost site.
Short answer
- Curbside first: many cities collect leaves, grass and bundled brush on a set day.
- Bags matter: lots of programs want paper yard-waste bags, not plastic.
- Brush has size limits — typically a few inches thick and a few feet long, bundled.
- Keep it clean: trash, dirt or rocks in a yard-waste load can get it charged as garbage.
Find a brush or compost site near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the nearest compost, brush and yard-waste drop-offs.
Why the landfill may refuse it
Some states ban yard waste from landfills outright. Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas law keep it out, and in Indiana many county landfills won't take it. That's why counties run separate brush sites and seasonal leaf collection.
Paper bags, not plastic
Because yard waste is composted, many programs insist on paper yard-waste bags:
- Longview, Texas: paper yard-waste bags or a container marked Yard Waste; the city won't collect yard waste in plastic bags.
- Durham, North Carolina: brown paper leaf bags are fine; yard waste in plastic bags has to be emptied on site.
- Dayton, Ohio: yard waste has to arrive loose or in paper bags; plastic bags aren't accepted.
- Nashville: leaves and clippings in biodegradable paper bags only.
Brush and limbs
Every program sets its own size rules. A few examples:
- Norwich, Connecticut: brush no longer than 4 feet and no thicker than 4 inches.
- Winchester, Virginia: up to five paper bags, containers or bundles a week, limbs 3 inches across or less, bundles no longer than 4 feet, nothing over 75 pounds.
- Tulsa: limbs up to 12 feet long and 6 inches thick, trunks up to 24 inches by 8 feet, stumps up to 24 inches, no root balls.
- Keep it clean: in Puyallup, Washington, rocks, dirt, plastic, lumber or trash in a yard-waste load gets the whole load charged at the garbage rate.