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

Yard waste collection in the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, is set by Troy City Code § 247-8(C)(4), with the owner and occupant duties repeated in § 247-9(C). The Department of General Services collects yard waste consisting of lawn clippings, leaves and trimmings from bushes, shrubs and hedges. It will not collect trees from private properties that have been cut down or fallen down.

Bagging is the first rule. Lawn clippings and leaves must be placed only in approved paper lawn and leaf bags. Plastic bags containing yard waste will not be accepted for yard waste collection, and if yard waste is put out in plastic bags it is considered garbage and thrown into the garbage. Trimmings from bushes, shrubs and hedges are collected only if they are in paper lawn and leaf bags or tied in bundles no longer than three feet long, no heavier than 30 pounds and not wider than six inches in diameter.

Section 247-9(C) adds detail for owners and occupants. Yard wastes consist of lawn clippings, leaves, clippings of bushes, shrubs and hedges, and sweepings from exterior areas. Bundles must be securely tied with nonplastic or metal string, at no more than 30 pounds and three feet in length. That section prints a diameter limit of 12 inches for the bundles, while § 247-8(C)(4) prints six inches, so a bundle at six inches or under satisfies both. Cuttings and debris from cut or fallen trees are the owner's or occupant's job to remove, and cuttings larger than six inches in diameter are deemed tree cuttings.

Scheduling comes before set-out. The owner or occupant must first contact the Department of Public Works to advise of the extent and volume of yard wastes. Based on what the dispatcher is told, the Department decides whether the material goes out on a regular collection day or on a separately scheduled date. Yard wastes can be placed adjacent on the street in line with instructions given when the pickup is scheduled. The Commissioner of General Services can also run temporary regular yard waste pickups for a set period, announced to the public before they begin and end. Under § 247-8(C)(8), no one may haul yard wastes into the City to use Troy's collection.