Memphis, TN Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 9-56-11 governs yard debris separately from the regular garbage cart. Leaves, grass cuttings, garden trimmings, weeds and roots, with dirt removed, must be placed in disposable containers such as cardboard cartons, plastic bags or moisture-resistant paper bags that have tops, ties or another way of preventing spillage and are moisture-proof or kept dry; each container is capped at roughly the capacity of a standard 30-gallon solid waste container because that is the maximum size the solid waste division considers safe for a collector to lift manually.

Containers go adjacent to the front property line, or the back property line where alley collection is provided, and where the property is exempt from cart participation, loose yard waste that is not tightly compacted may go in the regular can-type container instead, provided the volume does not force the collector to make an extra trip. The director of solid waste may grant hardship waivers of the section. Large accumulations of magazines and newspapers must be bundled and securely tied. Bulky yard waste and tree trimmings are kept separate from bagged debris and placed neatly adjacent to the front property line rather than mixed with cart garbage.

Limbs or logs longer than five feet or thicker than 13 inches in diameter will not be collected by the city at all, property owners must arrange private removal for oversized wood. Wet solid waste, including yard debris, must be drained before it goes in the cart or can-type container, and it may not be combined with ashes or rubbish in the same container.