Islip, NY Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Chapter 21's residence provisions treat grass clippings as excluded from routine Town collection. Section 21-4A obligates residents generally to separate and set out recyclable components of their waste stream, but Section 21-4D, captioned 'Unauthorized household waste disposal', carves out an explicit exception: § 21-4D(2) states it is unlawful for any resident to place grass clippings, hazardous materials, and/or medical waste out for collection by the Town of Islip or its designated contractors at any time. Unlike the scheduled limits that apply to other categories, this prohibition runs continuously, there is no window in which grass clippings may be set at the curb for Town pickup.

The broader 'yard waste' definition in § 21-2 (leaves, grass clippings, garden debris, shrubs, branches and similar agricultural waste 'as designated by the Commissioner') treats yard waste generally as a recyclable-market commodity, but this specific residence rule singles out grass clippings for an outright collection ban rather than curbside recycling, meaning residents must grasscycle, compost on-site, or contract with a private landscaper or hauler for removal. The Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Control retains authority under § 21-4B to designate which other components of the residential waste stream, and on what days, are collected, so any future change to how leaves or branches are handled would come through that same office rather than a Code amendment.