Houston picks up yard waste weekly on the same day as garbage. Material must be in compostable kraft paper bags or 32-gallon containers, weighing no more than 50 pounds each. Tree limbs are bundled. Citywide leaf and tree-waste recycling runs October through March.
Houston Solid Waste Management collects yard waste curbside weekly on the resident's regular garbage day. The City Code of Ordinances Chapter 39 requires that all yard trimmings — grass, leaves, weeds, small limbs — be placed in compostable kraft paper lawn-and-leaf bags or in a reusable 32-gallon container clearly marked "Yard Waste." Plastic bags are not permitted during the tree-waste recycling season (October 1 through March 31), when material is composted rather than landfilled. Each bag or container may weigh no more than 50 pounds. Tree limbs must be cut into pieces no longer than four feet and bundled with twine; bundles may not exceed 18 inches in diameter or 50 pounds. Place materials at the curb by 7:00 AM but not before 6:00 PM the prior evening. Christmas trees are collected curbside during the first three weeks of January, free of ornaments, lights, and stands.
Setouts in plastic bags during the recycling season, overweight bags, or oversized bundles will be tagged and left. Illegal dumping of yard waste carries fines from $50 to $2,000 under Houston Code §39-15.
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