Dutchess County, NY Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Yard waste in trash
- Prohibited countywide
- Disposal option
- Municipal sites or on-site composting
- Enforcer
- County Commissioner of Solid Waste
- First offense
- Warning only
- Later offenses
- $500-$1,000 civil penalty
Summary
Dutchess County requires yard waste to be kept out of the regular trash stream countywide, with disposal handled through municipal sites or private composting instead of the landfill.
All yard waste shall be separated from solid waste. It shall be unlawful to place such material in a solid waste management-resource recovery facility.
B. Each city, town and/or village within the County may provide, or obtain rights in, a site for the disposal of residential yard waste.
C. Yard waste may be composted at a site or sites designated by the municipality or at a facility as may from time to time be designated by the Commissioner of Solid Waste Management.
D. This section shall not prohibit private composting, or on-site disposal in compliance with any existing law, of yard waste by any individual.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4887874; v22 updated 2025-04-15; through 04-15-2025).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 256-20 bars residents from placing yard waste in a solid waste management-resource recovery facility: it has to be separated from ordinary solid waste. Cities, towns and villages in the County may set up their own yard-waste disposal or composting sites, and the Commissioner of Solid Waste Management can designate additional composting facilities. Residents are free to compost or dispose of yard waste on their own property instead, as long as it complies with other applicable law. Section 256-21 separately makes it unlawful to dump yard waste, tires or household appliances in a landfill or resource recovery facility.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by the County Commissioner of Solid Waste; a first offense draws a warning, a second within a year is a $50 fine plus a $50 civil penalty, and later offenses carry a $500-$1,000 civil penalty. Repeat violators risk suspension of disposal privileges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I compost yard waste on my own property in Dutchess County?
Where do I take yard waste if I don't compost it myself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dutchess County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Dutchess County to another location·View the New York trash & recycling overview
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