Carroll County, MD Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition
- Leaves, clippings, plants, prunings (§ 50.01)
- Separation rule
- Cannot commingle with other solid waste
- Drop-off site
- Northern Landfill or other designated site
- Contaminated loads
- Rejected as yard waste, fee plus penalty
- Excluded
- Tree stumps, oversized logs/branches (§ 50.04(C)(1))
Summary
Yard waste and yard trim cannot be mixed with regular trash in Carroll County. Section 50.04(E)(1) requires it to be kept separate and, if taken to a county site, dropped only at the Northern Landfill or another site the county designates, in the specific area set aside for yard waste.
(1) Yard waste/yard trim. No person shall dispose of yard waste/yard trim by commingling it with other solid waste. If yard waste/trim is to be disposed of at a county facility, it may be disposed of at the Northern Landfill or at other sites as may hereafter be designated by the county, but only in the location designated by the county for its disposal at the Northern Landfill or other designated site. Loads of yard waste containing any material other than yard waste will not be accepted as yard waste and in addition to the solid waste management fee may be subject to penalties upon acceptance at a county facility if the contamination affected the county's yard waste collection program adversely in any way.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through July 30, 2026).
Full Breakdown
01 defines YARD WASTE/YARD TRIM as materials normally generated maintaining gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas: leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs, prunings, and trimmings, but not other tree waste, land-clearing debris, waste pavement, or soil. 04(E)(1) sets the handling rule: 'No person shall dispose of yard waste/yard trim by commingling it with other solid waste,' and any yard waste taken to a county facility must go to the Northern Landfill or another site the county later designates, and only in the location the county has set aside there for yard waste.
A load that mixes other material into what is presented as yard waste will not be accepted as yard waste at all, and the code allows the county to charge the regular solid waste management fee plus penalties on top if the contamination hurts the county's yard waste collection program. 04(C)(1)(t) reinforces the separation rule from the other side, listing yard waste/yard trim among the wastes barred from the general landfill and transfer station unless it is delivered to a designated recycling area instead. 04(C)(1)(e) and (f), so large woody debris does not automatically qualify as ordinary yard waste.
Violations & Fines
Commingling yard waste with regular trash, or delivering a contaminated load to the Northern Landfill's yard waste area, exposes a hauler or resident to the county's solid waste management fee plus additional penalties under § 50.04(E)(1) if the contamination disrupts the yard waste program. Chapter-wide enforcement runs through §§ 50.09 and 50.99: a notice of violation carries a civil fine up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for later ones, and a misdemeanor charge can add a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I take yard waste in Carroll County?
Can I mix bagged leaves with my regular household trash for drop-off?
Are tree stumps accepted as yard waste?
What happens if my yard waste load has trash mixed in?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carroll County
Compare Carroll County to another location·View the Maryland trash & recycling overview
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