Yard Debris/Yard Care

In the course of maintaining yards and gardens, Snohomish County residents and businesses often produce yard debris and landscaping residue. This valuable organic resource should not be disposed of as garbage, but should be recycled. The County has an interest in conserving existing landfill space and in developing alternative methods of dealing with yard debris. Recycling reduces garbage costs and preserves our natural resources.

Yard debris (green waste) includes leaves, weeds, flowers, roots, grass clippings, shrubbery and small tree trimmings/branches less than 4 inches in diameter.

Material not accepted for recycling includes: plastic bags, soil, rocks, sod, food waste, pet waste, invasive weeds, or large wood debris-over 4 inches width (see our wood debris page for disposal information).

Residents can reduce the cost of recycling their yard debris, and improve their lawn and landscape by grasscycling. Establishing your own compost bin will provide you with valuable compost that will improve the health of your plants and lawn as well as save disposal costs. The County offers many brochures on natural lawn care and composting.

Many local haulers accept yard debris as part of their curbside service. Check with your hauler for their acceptance policies, collection schedule and rates.

Yard debris is accepted for recycling at the County's three transfer stations. The disposal fee is $45/ton (minimum fee of $11 for 500 pounds or less). Please keep recyclable items separate from garbage.

Several private compost and topsoil businesses use yard debris from residential and commercial sources to produce high quality compost. Compost is one of nature's best mulches and soil amendments, and Snohomish County encourages residents to recycle their yard debris. You can find a list of the many recycling resources for yard debris on the WA State Dept. of Ecology web page.