Beginning
January 1, 2010, residents in the Twin Cities area who bag their yard and
organic waste will be required to put their waste out for pickup in compostable
bags - either paper bags or compostable plastic bags. This will affect residents in the following
counties: Anoka, Carver, Hennepin (excluding the City of Minneapolis), Ramsey,
Scott, and Washington.
Wondering what to do with those mounds of raked leaves and clumps of
grass clippings? Think of it as a resource - one that will help keep
your flowers blooming and your yard healthy and beautiful, year after
year.
Mixing yard and tree waste with your trash is
illegal in Minnesota. Rather than paying to dispose of this organic
resource, compost it!
Beginning
January 1, 2010, residents in the Twin Cities area who bag their yard and
organic waste will be required to put their waste out for pickup in compostable
bags - either paper bags or compostable plastic bags. This will affect residents in the following
counties: Anoka, Carver, Hennepin (excluding the City of Minneapolis), Ramsey,
Scott, and Washington.
Yard waste pick-up services will no longer take the regular plastic bags that you worked so hard to fill, and it's illegal to place yard waste in the trash, so be sure to use compostable bags! You can learn all about the new requirements here.
Here's what you can compost in your backyard:
- Green and brown leaves
- Coffee grounds
- Tea bags
- Plant trimmings
- Raw fruit and vegetable scraps
- Fresh grass clippings
- Wood chips
- Shredded newspaper
- Twigs, branches and woodchips
Do not compost the following:
- Food with meat, dairy or oils
- Pet feces (dog, cat or bird)
- Diseased plants
- Weeds gone to seed
- Ash from charcoal or coal
Add compost to your garden soil to improve drainage, aeration and fertility; or use it as mulch around your garden plants to hold soil moisture.
For information on how to compost, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency web site.
- Grass clippings - Leave on the lawn to eliminate or reduce the need for fertilizers. If you're still using fertilizers, do so sparingly and choose phosphorus-free varieties to keep our rivers and lakes free of algae.
- In your own backyard - Compost your garden, yard and food waste. For information on getting started and what to compost, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency web site.
- Curbside pick-up- Contact your waste hauler or county for information on options and material preparations. Your waste hauler may separately collect yard waste for a fee, and then bring it to a commercial compost site. You can also get garden-ready compost at many of these sites.
- Compost sites - Drop-off your yard waste at the site nearest you. Contact your waste hauler or county office for drop-off site locations, items accepted and any fees involved. Some yard waste sites are only open seasonally.
Download the Composting Card as a reference for when you're not online.
For more information on how to reduce and properly manage your yard waste and for local compost site locations, contact your county.
