Leaf Disposal

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) collects leaves, twigs, and small grass clippings on your regular trash days.

Put your items in a black trash bag or unlined trash can and place curbside for collection on your trash day. There is no limit to the amount of leaves or clippings that can be put out for collection as long as they were produced by residents and not landscapers.

It is illegal for commercial landscapers to dispose of yard waste by placing it at the curb for collection. Landscapers and hired professionals must dispose of yard waste and clippings at a permitted composting facility.

To learn how to dispose of tree branches and twigs greater than 1/2 inch in diameter, visit the Wood Disposal page.

Instead of throwing out leaves with your trash, you can also:

Compost them in your backyard
Take them to a neighborhood-based leaf and yard waste composting site
Leave them in your yard

Find composting resources.

Find leaf drop-off locations.

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) temporarily suspended the curbside organics composting service on Monday, May 4th, 2020. Organics collections are expected to resume in July 2021.

The City suspended organics service to divert resources to emergency COVID-19 response efforts. Additionally, this crisis and the resulting decrease in economic activity have forced the City to make significant budget cuts to maintain emergency services and core municipal services.

While the service is suspended, you can put your food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste in the trash following normal Residential Trash Rules or you can compost at home. Do not put items out in your brown organics bin.

Keep your organics bin in storage for when service resumes. DSNY will not take back or replace brown bins.

Was this information helpful? Yes No

How can we improve this page?

Was this information helpful?

NoYes

Knowledge Article

IP Address

Organics Collection Service Changes

Was this information helpful? Yes No