If you do not currently bag your grass clippings, it is not necessary to do so. The city discourages the bagging of grass clippings and encourages our residents to mulch their grass clippings whenever possible and practical.

No. Grass clippings readily decompose when returned to your lawn. This decomposition, returns nutrients back to the soil where they are available to the turfgrass.

Most of the time, the best thing to do with grass clippings is simply leave them alone. Grass clippings less than one inch in length filter down to the soil surface and decompose quickly while forming a nutrient-rich mulch. It's the longer clippings that tend to remain above the lawn, giving your yard an unsightly appearance and smothering the grass beneath. These clippings should be removed.

Many studies have been done on this subject. It is by far better to leave the clippings on the lawn rather then bag them. This process has been called grass cycling and you can find more info at this link. The most important thing to remember is to not leave clumps of clippings on the lawn and to not take off more than 1/3 of the plant when mowing.

The Robomower? is a 21-inch cut, triple chamber, dedicated mulching system, and the healthiest way to manage clippings for your lawn. Because we mulch in three separate chambers, we actually mulch more effectively than most conventional mowers, thereby leaving smaller clippings that fall into the grass. These smaller clippings provide for quick decomposition into a natural fertilizer for your lawn.

Residents may drop off grass clippings, leaves and other organic yard waste at McCoy Sanitation for a fee of $.75 per bag. Material MUST be in an approved biodegradable (paper) bag. Residents wishing to have these items picked up at their residence may contact McCoy Sanitation at 961-4962 to schedule pickup. Cost will be $1 per bag picked up - prepaid stickers are available through McCoy's or at City Hall. All materials must be in approved, biodegradable bags.

During specific times of the year, the Trash Company will set days aside for yard waste disposal. Otherwise, they can go out in your regular trash.

If you were to pour a quart of oil and a bag of grass clipping down the storm drain at the same time clearly the oil would be the most harmful to storm water. However, most people know not to pour oil down the storm drain but don’t think twice about hosing their yard waste down the storm drain.

Yard waste contributes nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which cause unwanted and uncontrolled growth of algae and aquatic weeds.

Leaves and grass clippings must be placed in containers or bags (bag weight should not exceed 40 pounds), and should be located with other yard waste collection.

Another form of recycling is composting. Composting is the controlled biological decomposition of organic matter, such as food and yard wastes, into humus, a soil-like material. Composting is nature's way of recycling organic wastes into new soil used in vegetable and flower gardens, landscaping, and many other applications. To learn more about composting, click here. Grasscycling, the practice of leaving grass on a lawn after mowing, is an effective way to deal with grass clippings.

Grass clippings left on the lawn only become a problem if they are too thick. If you mow the lawn before the grass gets overly tall, most of the clippings will not be sufficient to warrant raking.

They sure are. Just make sure that you spread a thin layer of soil between each three-inch layer of clippings.

Grass clippings should be allowed to remain on the lawn to recycle plant nutrients. Clippings should be removed only when the grass has been allowed to grow too tall and clumps of grass remain following mowing. Be aware that many homeowners are facing new laws that prohibit the disposal of yard waste in regular landfills.

Since courses vary in their handling of green waste, we recommend disposing of grass clippings in the same manner that all other grass clippings are handled. Most golf courses have a composting program. You will notice on the pictures that the grass cart is always located on the wash pad. This is because the bottom of the cart is a fine membrane. This allows the water to drain off, back through the treatment system leaving the grass clippings dry where they can be added to the compost.