Town of Colonie Environmental Services runs a Leaf and Yard Waste Brush Program available to Town residents, Village of Menands, and Village of Colonie. Yard waste must be in biodegradable paper bags ONLY - plastic bags (including orange pumpkin bags) are not collected. Bags must be under 40 lbs. Branches and brush up to 3 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length must be tied with string in manageable bundles. Christmas trees collected starting January 5, 2026 through the last Friday in February. Free self-haul to landfill with green resident sticker.
The Town of Colonie Leaf and Yard Waste Brush Program is administered by the Division of Environmental Services and serves Town of Colonie residents, Village of Menands, and Village of Colonie. Curbside collection rules: yard waste must be placed at the curbside for the scheduled pickup day in BIODEGRADABLE PAPER BAGS ONLY - plastic bags, including the seasonal orange pumpkin bags, are explicitly NOT collected because plastic contaminates the Town's compost stream and does not biodegrade in the municipal-compost timeline. Bag weight limit: bags over 40 lbs in weight will not be collected (a worker-safety and equipment-protection cap). Branches and brush: branches and brush up to 3 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length must be tied with string in manageable bundles (or placed in biodegradable bags if they fit). Branches larger than 3 inches in diameter or longer than 4 feet must be self-hauled to the Colonie Landfill (4 Arrowhead Lane) - yard waste is accepted free with proof of residency (green resident sticker). The Town does NOT enter private property to pick up yard waste - all material must be at the curb. Christmas trees: collected beginning January 5, 2026, until all trees are collected (weather permitting), but no later than the last Friday in February. Remove all decorations, lights, tinsel, hooks, plastic bags, and the stand before set-out. For brush/yard-waste haul-in, the Town Yard Waste Composting site (https://colonie.org/departments/envservices/town-yard-waste-composting) accepts material directly. Authority: Town Code Chapter 112 (Solid Waste); NY ECL Article 27 (state solid-waste framework); NY ECL §27-0707 (general DEC solid-waste authority). State backstop: NY does not have a statewide yard-waste landfill ban, but the Town diverts yard waste from its own landfill voluntarily to extend landfill life and produce municipal compost.
Yard waste in plastic bags (including orange pumpkin bags) is not collected - workers will leave the bag at the curb and the resident must re-bag in paper. Bags over 40 lbs are left at the curb. Branches exceeding 3 inches in diameter or 4 feet in length are not collected curbside - they must be self-hauled to the landfill or cut down. Persistent non-compliance is enforced as a Chapter 112 violation (hauler-license / solid-waste system) and as Chapter 62 Art IV blight by the Building Department (518-783-2706) with civil penalties of $500/$750/$1,000. Raking leaves into the street, alley, or storm drain creates exposure under NY ECL §27-0701 et seq. (improper disposal) and may block storm drains with stormwater-quality implications under NY ECL Article 17 (Water Pollution Control). Yard waste in regular trash routed to landfill is permitted but defeats the Town's diversion goal and counts against landfill capacity.
Colonie, NY
Abandoned vehicles in the Town of Colonie are handled under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1224 (Abandoned Vehicles), which makes the town in which a vehi...
Colonie, NY
Pool barriers in Colonie are governed by the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as adopted by reference in the NY State Uniform Code at 19 NYCR...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie Zoning Law does not prescribe a closed list of permitted fence materials, but barbed wire, electrified fencing, and razor wire are genera...
Colonie, NY
Boundary and 'spite fence' disputes in Colonie are governed by New York State common law and statute, not the town zoning code. Real Property Actions and Pro...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie requires a fence/zoning permit from the Department of Building & Code Enforcement before installing a fence, with a plot plan showing fen...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie does not impose a numeric limit on the number of dogs, cats, or other companion animals per household. Chapter 79 Article III caps chicke...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Albany County.
See how other cities in Albany County handle yard waste collection.
See how Colonie's yard waste collection rules stack up against other locations.
Quick Compare
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.