How to dispose of yard waste
Start with your city: most cities take yard waste through yard waste. Choose your city below to jump to its rules, or read the options that apply anywhere.
Your city’s rules for yard waste
| Hazardous? | No. Organic material; not hazardous. (epa.gov) |
|---|
Ways to get rid of yard waste
City bulk pickup
Curbside leaf collection or drop-off sites run by towns (CT example). (portal.ct.gov, checked October 30, 2026)
Rules to know
- Compost yard trim at home to keep it out of landfills. (epa.gov)
- Some states require towns to provide leaf recycling (e.g., Connecticut). (portal.ct.gov)
State programs and laws
| State | Program or law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | State leaf recycling requirement for towns | portal.ct.gov |
| Delaware | Yard waste (grass, leaves, prunings, brush, Christmas trees, limbs up to 4 in.) banned from all Delaware landfills since 2007; use hauler yard waste collection or drop-off sites. | dnrec.delaware.gov |
| Florida | Yard trash banned from lined Class I landfills unless the landfill has active gas collection with beneficial use (or uses it for mulch/cover); source-separated yard trash may go to composting facilities. | leg.state.fl.us |
| Illinois | Landscape waste (grass, leaves, brush) has been banned from Illinois landfills since July 1, 1990; compost, mulch or use community collections instead. | epa.illinois.gov |
| Indiana | IC 13-20-9 bans landfill disposal of yard waste (leaves, brush, woody material over 3 feet) from residential, commercial and industrial sources; exceptions include grass, bagged/bundled woody material under 3 feet, Christmas trees, house plants and vegetable food scraps. | in.gov |
| Iowa | Landfill disposal of yard waste is prohibited (Iowa Code 455D.9), with exceptions (source-separated for composting, disaster debris, pest control, landfills with energy-producing methane collection). Cities and counties must require residents to separate yard waste. | legis.iowa.gov |
| Maryland | Landfills/refuse disposal systems may not accept truckloads of separately collected yard waste (or loads of separately collected food waste) for final disposal unless they provide for organics recycling of it. | mgaleg.maryland.gov |
| Massachusetts | Leaves and yard waste are banned from disposal, which is why they are collected separately. | recyclesmartma.org |
| Minnesota | Yard waste may not be placed in mixed municipal solid waste (trash), disposal facilities, or resource recovery facilities except for composting/reuse; metro-county yard waste delivered in bags must use certified compostable (ASTM D6400) bags. | revisor.mn.gov |
| Missouri | Yard waste may not be disposed of in solid waste landfills (since 1992), except at department-approved bioreactor landfills that generate electricity from landfill gas. | revisor.mo.gov |
| Nebraska | Leaves and grass clippings are banned from municipal landfills April 1 to Nov. 30 (accepted Dec. 1 to March 31) and always banned from construction and demolition landfills. | dwee.nebraska.gov |
| North Carolina | Yard trash is banned from landfill disposal. | deq.nc.gov |
| Ohio | Landfills are generally not permitted to accept yard waste (mixed or source-separated) for disposal, except under a landfill yard waste restriction program per OAC 3745-27-19(O). There is no state rule stopping households/haulers from commingling yard waste with trash; local governments/SWMDs may require separation. | dam.assets.ohio.gov |
| South Carolina | No person may knowingly mix yard trash and land-clearing debris with other municipal solid waste intended for a MSW landfill or resource recovery facility; landfills may not accept loads primarily of yard trash unless composted (SC Code 44-96-190). | scstatehouse.gov |
| South Dakota | Yard waste may not be landfilled. | danr.sd.gov |
| Vermont | Leaf and yard debris and clean wood are banned from the trash under the Universal Recycling Law. | dec.vermont.gov |
| Wisconsin | Yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, yard and garden debris, brush under 6 inches diameter) is banned from landfills; it may go to an approved compost facility or be incinerated with energy recovery. | dnr.wisconsin.gov |
Cautions
- No on-site burial of land-clearing debris. “You may not bury land-clearing debris on site, or at another location that is not a permitted solid waste disposal area.” (portal.ct.gov)
Related guides
All disposal guidesChecked October 30, 2026 against federal, state and program pages. Local rules come first: your city’s page shows its own pickup and drop-off rules.