Yard Debris

Composting your yard debris is easy.

Either at home or at local facilities, composting yard debris helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil quality, reduces the need for chemicals and fertilizers, and saves water.

Curbside Yard Debris Pickup

Yard debris collection is included with regular residential garbage service in urban areas of Clackamas County. (link is external) After it is picked up, it goes to yard debris recycling facilities for processing into compost. The finished compost is sold as mulch and as a soil amendment for yards, gardens and landscaping. Applying compost to gardens adds nutrients to soils, reduces weeds and saves water. 

YES, these CAN GO in your curbside yard debris cart:

• Weeds
• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Flowers
• Other yard and garden vegetation
• Shrub and tree prunings - under 4" in diameter and 36" in length
• Food scraps can go into your curbside yard debris cart, or you can compost fruit and vegetable scraps in a compost bin or compost pile in your backyard. Click here to learn more.

NO, these CANNOT GO in your yard debris cart:

• Flower pots - rigid plastic ones 4" across and larger go in your recycling, but no dirt please. Other kinds - find them a new home or find a recycler (link is external).
• Wood, lumber, sod, stumps, logs, concrete, rocks, dirt - find a recycler (link is external). 
• Animal waste and cat litter go in the garbage.

Please, don't put these materials in your yard debris cart; they cause problems in the composting process. 

Learn more through Clackamas County (link is external), or contact your waste hauler to learn more about your yard debris collection options. 

Hoodview: https://www.hoodviewdisposal.com/services/residential/residential-yard-w... (link is external)

Waste Management: https://www.wmnorthwest.com/clackamas/yardwaste.html (link is external)

Yard Debris and Wood Recycling Sites in Clackamas County

Clackamas County keeps current lists of yard debris (link is external) and recycling depots (link is external).

What about Christmas trees?

Read about Christmas tree recycling options in the Milwaukie community here.