Yard and Grass Clippings

Learn how to properly dispose of yard and grass clippings.

Yard and grass clippings can reach our local waterways by washing into storm drains. Keep green waste out of storm drains. Try grasscycling, composting, or participating in your local green waste program.

Grasscycling is the practice of leaving clippings on the lawn when mowing. The clippings quickly decompose, returning nutrients to the soil. Grasscycling makes caring for your lawn easier, and will not cause thatch. You can reduce mowing time by as much as 50 percent, because you don’t have to bag or dispose of clippings. Leaving clippings on the lawn also reduces the lawn’s water loss and its need for fertilizer. To grasscycle, it is best to cut grass when the surface is dry (no drops of moisture on the grass), and to keep mower blades sharp. Follow the “1/3 rule”: Mow the lawn often enough so that no more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade is removed in any one mowing. Proper mowing will produce short clippings that will not cover up the grass surface. You may have to cut the lawn more frequently, or double cut, when the lawn is growing quickly.

Backyard composting is the process of allowing nature to break down your green waste. When you mix your grass clippings, weeds, trimmings and water in a bin, beneficial insects and microorganisms decompose the mixture into finished compost. You can help speed up the process by keeping the pile moist, not soaked, and periodically mix it to add air to the pile. You may have finished compost in as early as six weeks. Finished compost can be placed over the soil as mulch, or mixed into the soil as a wonderful soil amendment.