Yard Waste Alternative ways to recycle Organics Acceptable Yard Waste: Branches, brush, fallen fruit, grass clippings, hedges, leaves, twigs, and weeds. Non-Acceptable Items: Diseased plants, treated wood, palm fronds, succulents, yucca, cacti, dirt, stones, gravel, sand, and tree trimmings (larger than 4 inches in diameter or 4 feet in length). Place palm fronds in the trash.* They are too fibrous and wiry to be composted. Place succulents, yucca, and cacti in the trash.* They require extended time to break down and decompose, and can also propagate new growth when found in compost. *Standard commercial operations do not have the luxury of time and space to properly break down these materials. If not completely broken down, this can lead to quality issues with finished compost. Untreated wood is not considered yard waste. See the untreated wood guide for more information. If you do not subscribe to an organics collection, please place yard waste in the trash container. Alternative Ways to Recycle Get a Mulcher, Shredder and Chipper If your household generates large volumes of yard waste, consider buying power tools to transform green waste into mulch: a mulcher, shredder and chipper can get the job done. Did You Know? The Perfect Compost Recipe Can I Make My Compost Pile Break Down Faster? Your compost pile breaks down faster if you mix together the right amounts of green and brown material. Your brown to green ratio is based off of your carbon to nitrogen ratio: 25-30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen is ideal. Keep in mind that food or yard waste all have different C:N ratios (shown here). Don’t get out your calculator for these ratios, instead just eyeball how much you put into the compost pile.