Fairfax County regulations require that yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, branches, etc.) be
recycled from March 1 st to December 24 th . From December 25 th through the end of February,
yard waste can be placed at the curb with your household trash. (An exception is made for
Christmas trees, which are collected and recycled the first two weeks in January.) You may have
heard that the county is considering new rules for yard waste collection, specifically about plastic
bags. A decision to pursue a regulatory change that affects how yard waste is collected has been
postponed indefinitely. Currently, there is not a ban on the use of plastic bags for yard waste in
Fairfax County. However, you might want to consider grasscycling, mulching, and composting
as environmentally sound alternatives to bagging grass clippings and leaves.
