Macon-Bibb County, GA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 22-13(a) of the Macon-Bibb County Code requires yard trimmings too bulky for a solid waste receptacle to be carefully accumulated in suitable containers weighing no more than 50 pounds each, or piled no larger than three feet by three feet by six feet. The Director of Solid Waste is authorized to charge a fee for collecting more than two cubic yards of trimmings in a single visit, with the amount set by Solid Waste Department regulation. Subsection (b) requires those containers or piles to sit next to the regular solid waste receptacle, at the curbside location set under Section 22-9.

Subsection (c) adds material-specific rules: pine straw and leaves must be fully containerized rather than left loose at the curb, limbs have to be cut into four-foot lengths, and any limb under four inches in diameter must be bundled into packages of 50 pounds or less. Limbs, tree trunks, and other debris over four inches in diameter will not be removed by the county unless permitted under separate regulations adopted per Section 22-19. A related duty falls on property owners under Section 22-14: after any tree on their land is cut down, whether by the owner or someone else, the owner must promptly remove the trunks, logs, limbs, and tops at their own expense, though the Solid Waste Department may again charge a collection fee if it hauls the material.

Debris from commercial tree-cutting operations is excluded entirely and must be hauled by the contractor, owner, or occupant. Collection itself runs on a biweekly cycle under Section 22-11(a), with the Director of Solid Waste able to add extra pickups when needed. Failing to prepare and place yard trimmings as the chapter requires is a violation under Section 22-6, and each day of noncompliance counts as a separate offense.