Waste Management Yard Waste Regulations and Guidelines

Yard waste management is a crucial aspect of maintaining a clean and healthy environment. In most cities, yard waste is collected separately from regular trash and must be placed in special bins or bags.

For example, in New York City, yard waste is collected every other week from April to December, and residents must use biodegradable bags that can be composted. This helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keeps the city's parks and gardens looking their best.

Before you start collecting your yard waste, make sure to check with your local waste management agency to see what types of materials are accepted. In many areas, branches and shrubs are not allowed in the yard waste collection, and must be taken to a separate facility for disposal.

Some communities also have specific guidelines for what types of yard waste can be composted, such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable scraps.

Waste Collection Schedules can be a bit confusing, but don't worry, I've got you covered. Yard Waste collection is a weekly service provided to City of Memphis residential customers, collecting up to one half a cubic yard of bagged yard waste debris a week.

You'll need to keep your yard waste organic only, no construction debris allowed, and it must be placed in a separate pile at the curb. If your yard waste debris wasn't serviced, check for a warning tag to see why.

The collection schedule varies by yard schedule, as shown below:

Outside the cart, collection is a bi-monthly service, where the City will pick up your yard debris in excess of two bags and bulk waste such as tree limbs and furniture, twice a month on your regular collection day.

To make the most of your gray cart, remember that materials should be loose, not bagged. This helps the composting process and ensures everything gets collected.

Sticks and branches in the cart must be less than 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. This keeps them from getting tangled and causing problems during collection.

If you have sticks and branches that are too long or too big, you can bundle them with twine and place them next to the cart. Just make sure the bundles are less than 4 feet long and weigh less than 50 pounds.

You can also include decorations made from plants in your gray cart, like carved or whole pumpkins, and leaf and berry wreaths. Just be sure to remove any wires, candles, lights, and other non-organic materials first.

Christmas trees are collected after the holiday, so you can place them at the curb for pickup on your regular collection day. Just make sure to remove all lights, tinsel, and ornaments first.

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To request bulk waste collection, you can call the Customer Contact Center at 757-382-CITY, submit a request online, or use the Chesapeake Service Request app.

Requests must be made by the weekday before your normal collection day.

Bulk waste collection can be made for large items like limbs and branches, which are treated as bulk waste and require a collection request.

Items should be placed at the curb no earlier than three days prior to your normal collection day.

Leave items at the curb until they are collected, which could be after your normal collection day.

Bulk and bagged yard waste requests will count towards your 12 collections per year.

Bagged yard waste should go in a 35-gallon clear plastic bag and only include materials like grass clippings and leaves.

To qualify as a Yard Waste Notification site, your facility operations area must be less than two acres. This size restriction is a key factor in determining whether your operation meets the requirements.

YWN sites must also meet a volume limit of no more than 6,000 cubic yards, including finished product, at any given time. This ensures that your facility doesn't become a permanent storage site.

To determine if your proposed yard waste operation qualifies as a Yard Waste Notification site, consider the following factors: size and volume. If your facility meets both criteria, you'll need to comply with additional rule requirements.

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Here are some of the key requirements you'll need to meet:

These requirements are in place to ensure that Yard Waste Notification sites are properly managed and don't pose a risk to the environment or public health.

The waste management yard waste facility operates 7 days a week, with extended hours during peak seasons.

The facility is equipped with a weighbridge system to accurately record the weight of incoming waste.

The facility's operations are overseen by a team of experienced staff, including a facility manager, who ensures that all operations run smoothly and efficiently.

A Notification Facility is a small-scale composting and/or mulching operation that repurposes yard waste into a soil amendment or beneficial landscaping material. These facilities are classified as Small Type 1 yard waste facilities and don't require a permit from the Division of Waste Management to operate, but the owner/operator must notify and get approval from the DWM before starting operations.

The rules governing Notification sites are found in the NC Solid Waste Compost Rules 15A NCAC 13B .1400. These rules outline the requirements for Notification sites to ensure they operate safely and effectively.

To qualify as a Notification site, a facility must meet two key criteria: size and volume. The facility operations area must be less than two acres, and the volume of material onsite allowed at any given time is limited to no more than 6,000 cubic yards, including finished product.

Here are the specific requirements for size and volume:

Notification sites must also comply with additional rule requirements, such as buffers, operations, fire safety, and record keeping. These requirements ensure that Notification sites operate safely and effectively, and that they don't pose a risk to the environment or public health.

If your facility is no longer active or is closed, you'll need to submit a Closure Notification to the DWM using the online form.

You can find the Notice of Ceased Operation of a Yard Waste Facility Form on the DWM's website, where you can complete and submit it.

This notification is crucial to update the system and ensure that your facility is no longer listed as active.