How to recycle / dispose yard trim (leaves, grass, and brush)

What is yard trim?

Yard trim is leaves, grass, brush or anything else that has grown naturally in your yard.

Choose from these methods for recycling your yard trim:

• If you receive recycling service from Montgomery County, set it out for weekly curbside pickups. We collect yard trim year-round.
• bring it to our Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
• compost it
• grasscycle it

See our instructions for oversized yard trim and storm debris.

How do I prepare yard trim for curbside pickup?

To be accepted in our curbside recycling program, each branch or tree limb may be up to

• 4 feet in length
• 4 inches in diameter

Yard trim in plastic bags will not be collected.

How much yard trim is accepted per collection?

You may set out an unlimited number of bags, containers, or bundles of branches and other yard trim for pickup.

Do I have to request yard trim pickups?

Pickups are made on your regular recycling day. You do not need to request a separate collection.

Do you make leaf pickups in Fall?

We accept leaves year-round in our weekly yard trim collections. You must prepare your leaves in paper yard trim bags or reusable containers.

Curbside leaf vacuuming is offered in a number of County areas during the Fall. Vacuuming is provided by the County's Division of Highway Services.

What is not accepted?

Curbside yard trim collections do not accept

• dirt/soil, rocks or sod
• root balls or tree stumps
• lumber
• oversized yard trim and storm debris
• rubber mulch - dispose of this as trash.

What happens to the yard trim we collect?

We compost leaves and grass at our Compost Facility. After the finished compost is screened, the material is sold under the brand name Leafgro.

We grind brush into mulch, available at no charge at our Neighborhood Mulch Preserve locations.