Curbside Collection of Grass & Leaves
Plastic bags may not be used to contain grass and leaves, per chapter 9 of the City Code. Note that grass and leaves are NOT collected with regular household trash when separate Monday collection is available.
Yard Trimmings Container Details
Cans
Give your trashcan double-duty! Fill the empty can with grass and leaves over the weekend, and use as your yard waste container for Monday collection. After Monday yard waste collection, use the can for your regular trash collection. Repeat.
City Carts
No refuse containers should weigh more than 65 pounds each, unless it is a wheeled City cart. Wheeled City carts may also be given double-duty as yard and trash container, just like a trash can. City carts are available for rent (a 90-gallon is $2.00 per month and 65-gallon is $1.50 per month)and may be arranged by calling the Solid Waste Division at 832-3032.
Compostable Paper Yard Waste Bags
Compostable yard waste bags are strong, double-ply paper bags with a "wet strength" meant specifically for yard trimmings. They are usually 30 gallons capacity and sold in packs of five, available at local retailers. For a limited time, the City of Lawrence is also selling compostable yard waste bags. For more information, visit our Compost Bins Sale page.
Placing Woody debris at the curb
Small woody debris may be placed with Monday yard trimmings for composting. Please place in a preferred container (cans, City carts or compostable paper bags), protruding no more than one foot above the container opening. Do not bundle woody debris for Monday yard trimmings collection.
Holiday Schedule
Citywide yard trimmings collection is on Monday mornings, March through mid December. Set your grass, leaves, and other small yard trimmings out by 6:00 a.m.. Separate collection of yard trimmings in 2012 begins on Monday, March 5th, and will occur every Monday through December 17th, weather permitting, except on the following Mondays:
- Monday, May 28 - Memorial Day
- Monday, September 3 - Labor Day
Grass and leaves set out for the week of the above "holiday" Mondays will be collected with regular trash and sent to the landfill.
What Not to Collect
When collecting your yard trimmings for Mondays, be careful not to contaminate them with inorganic debris or the herbicide ingredient Clopyralid (clo-PEER-a-lid), as your yard trimmings will be composted and then used by both the City and your fellow citizens (for distribution information, click here). Clopyralid is not like other herbicide ingredients in that it does not break down readily during the composting process. Thus it can persist in finished compost and may damage certain garden plants if contaminated compost is heavily applied. If using Clopyralid-containing products, please mulch-mow your clippings; do not set them out for Monday collection. For more information, please see our clopyralid brochure (PDF, 255K).
