Yard Waste

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!

Reuse Tips

Mix it up when you compost! A blend of the following organic materials listed below will produce a nutrient rich soil amendment for your lawn and garden.

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.

Disposal Information

Here are some tips for managing your yard waste.

• 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.

For more information on how to reduce and properly manage your yard waste and for local compost site locations, contact your county.

• Anoka County
• Carver County
• Dakota County
• Hennepin County
• Ramsey County
• Washington County