Washington County, MD Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance § 3.5.1
- Commingling
- Banned with other solid waste
- Disposal site
- Designated wood waste processing areas only
- Trimming size (definition)
- Under 4 feet long, 2 inches diameter
- Related rule
- Wood/branches kept separate under § 3.5.4
- First violation fine
- Up to $1,000 civil fine
Summary
Washington County will not let yard waste go into the trash. Under Section 3.5.1 of the Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance, no one may dispose of yard waste by mixing it with other solid waste, and any yard waste brought to a county facility can only go to a designated wood waste processing area.
Yard waste means any materials normally generated in the maintenance of gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas, whether residential, commercial or public, including leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs, prunings and trimmings less than 4 feet in length and 2 inches in diameter. Yard waste does not include other tree waste, land clearing debris, waste pavement, or soil. ... No person shall dispose of yard waste by commingling it with other solid waste. If yard waste is to be disposed of at a County Facility, it may be disposed of at wood waste processing areas or sites as may hereafter be designated by the County Commissioners, but only in the location designated by the County.
Full Breakdown
0 of the Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance defines yard waste as materials normally generated maintaining gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas, whether residential, commercial, or public, including leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs, and prunings and trimmings under 4 feet long and 2 inches in diameter; it excludes other tree waste, land clearing debris, waste pavement, and soil. 1 then bars anyone from disposing of yard waste by commingling it with other solid waste. If a resident or hauler brings yard waste to a County Facility, the Ordinance confines it to wood waste processing areas or sites the County Commissioners designate, and only in the specific location the county assigns there, not mixed in with the general tipping area used for household trash.
4 addresses the related category of wood waste, requiring a generator to keep tree branches, limbs, and wood chips separated from the rest of its waste and directing that treated wood does not count as clean wood waste for this purpose. 3 for a knowing violation.
Violations & Fines
Mixing yard waste into regular trash, or dumping it outside a designated wood waste area at a County Facility, violates Section 3.5.1 and is enforced like any other breach of the Ordinance: a civil fine of up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for each later one under Section 9.1, plus possible misdemeanor charges carrying up to six months in the Washington County Detention Center under Section 9.3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put grass clippings in with my regular trash in Washington County?
Where can I take yard waste in Washington County?
What size trimmings count as yard waste under county code?
What happens if I dump yard waste in the wrong spot at the landfill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Maryland trash & recycling overview
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