The disposal of yard waste from private households is the responsibility of the counties and independent cities. Regulations governing this are set forth in the individual waste disposal ordinances and fee schedules.
This includes, among other things, information on waste fees, waste containers (organic waste bins, ordering options), waste collection schedules (collection intervals), and available pickup and drop-off systems for garden waste.
If the public waste management authority does not yet offer an organic waste bin, alternative disposal options are available through the drop-off system (such as dropping off garden waste at recycling centers or container services) as well as, in some cases, the use of an organic waste bin from private providers (commercial or nonprofit collection).
In addition to disposing of garden waste via the organic waste bin, most municipal bylaws list home composting as an option for self-recycling of garden waste. If a resident can demonstrate the ability to recycle garden waste through composting on their own property, they may be exempted from the requirement to use the organic waste bin.
The separate collection and subsequent recycling of yard waste has several environmental benefits: It reduces the volume of residual waste and simplifies the treatment of residual waste. Separate collection facilitates the high-quality recycling of garden waste and enables the use of the humus components and nutrients it contains.