Fall leaf and yard cleanup: trailer, bags or curbside?

Key takeaways

• Howard curbside yard trim runs April 1 to mid-January; no plastic bags.
• Each bag, container or bundle must stay under 40 lb (county guide).
• Mulch-mowing works while leaves cover no more than about 20% of the lawn after mowing (UConn).
• A 6x12 holds 4.44 yd³, roughly 30 bags of 30 gallons each.
• Leaves weigh about 250-500 lb/yd³ (EPA), so a full 6x12 is about 1,100-2,200 lb.

What are your three options?

Mulch them, set them at the curb in paper bags, or haul them in one trip.

The county's leaf season overlaps with ours: leaf cleanup runs October to December, and curbside yard trim ends in mid-January.

How does Howard County curbside leaf pickup work?

Put leaves out on your recycling day in paper yard-waste bags or lid-less reusable containers.

• Collection is weekly for homes that pay the trash and recycling fee on their property tax bill. The season runs April through mid-January. Feed the Green Bin areas get year-round collection.
• No plastic bags. Don't use the county's recycling carts or set out wheelbarrows.
• The county's curbside guide says each bag, container or bundle must weigh under 40 lb. Branches must be under 4 inches thick and 4 feet long, in bundles up to 18 inches across.
• Grass, leaves and light brush are accepted in unlimited quantities.

Anne Arundel County is similar, but it collects yard waste year-round. It also uses a 40 lb limit per bag or bundle, and reusable containers must be marked with an X.

Watch the weight on wet days. A 30-gallon bag holds about 0.15 cubic yards. At the EPA's 250-500 lb per cubic yard for leaves, a full bag can weigh roughly 37-74 lb, and wet, packed leaves can push it past the 40 lb limit. Fill wet bags about halfway.

When is mulching the leaves the better move?

When the layer is thin enough that your mower can chop it and grass still shows through.

UConn Extension recommends mulching so that no more than about 20% of the lawn is still covered with leaf bits after each pass. Mulching mowers can handle up to about 6 inches of leaves at a time. Oak leaves chop more easily than maple or ash. Thick mats left through winter can encourage snow mold, so heavy fall on a wooded lot usually has to leave the property.

When does a trailer beat bagging?

When you'd otherwise fill more bags than the curb can take in a few weeks, or the season is over.

A 6x12 dump trailer holds 4.44 cubic yards. A 30-gallon paper lawn bag is about 0.15 yd³, so one level load is roughly 30 bags. You rake or blow straight onto a tarp, drag it to the trailer, and skip the bags.

The EPA lists leaves at 250-500 lb per cubic yard, depending on how wet and packed they are. A full 6x12 of leaves is roughly 1,100-2,200 lb of load, well under its 6,800 lb payload. A tarp over the top keeps them in the bed on Route 32. See the 6x12 dump trailer for specs.

For a single big push, one day on the 6x12 is $119 ($126.14 with tax). For a wooded lot that takes a full Saturday, the day rate is $119 ($126.14). Watch the total, though: the empty 6x12 is 3,100 lb, so a full load of wet leaves can push it past 5,000 lb. That's over a 2026 F-150's limit without weight distribution. Check your own numbers in the tow checker. Your vehicle's manufacturer ratings and manual always win.

Can you compost leaves or use them in beds?

Yes. Using leaves on your own property is free and keeps them off the curb.

UConn Extension suggests spreading leaves 4 to 6 inches deep in landscape beds, with a 6-inch gap around plant crowns. Mulched leaves hold moisture, shade out winter weeds and add nutrients. By UConn's estimate, a 2-inch layer mulched into the lawn adds about 3.44 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet over a fall.

One caution: don't move leaves from a yard with jumping worms, or with recurring insect, disease or weed-seed problems, into a clean one.

Where can you take a trailer of leaves in Howard County?

Alpha Ridge Landfill's Wood Waste Area at 2350 Marriottsville Rd, Monday to Saturday.

The Wood Waste Area is open 8am-4pm for residents and 8am-3:30pm for commercial customers. Yard trim is also accepted there year-round. But any resident using a trailer or rental vehicle is treated as commercial and has to cross the scale, so tip fees may apply. The county's FY2021 fee schedule showed residential yard trim free and commercial at $30 a ton. Ask for the current rate.

Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go. Our Howard County dump guide covers Alpha Ridge in detail.

What about Anne Arundel and Baltimore County?

Anne Arundel collects yard waste at the curb year-round, and Baltimore County's drop-off centers don't take multi-axle trailers.

• Anne Arundel: use paper bags or rigid reusable containers with an X marked on every side, each under 40 lb. There's no limit on how much you set out. Plastic bags haven't been accepted since January 3, 2017.
• Baltimore County: both our dump trailers are tandem-axle, so plan on Eastern Sanitary Landfill instead. Its commercial organics and brush rate is $65 a ton, with a $10 minimum for non-account customers.

Landfill fees, hours and rules are set by each county or site and can change without notice. We don't control them; call the site before you go. See the Anne Arundel dump guide for Millersville details.

Questions

Sources

• Howard County, yard trim collection
• Howard County, curbside collections guide (Jan 2021)
• Howard County, paper yard trim bags info sheet
• Anne Arundel County, yard waste
• UConn Extension, mulch mowing and leaf disposal (PDF)
• US EPA, volume-to-weight conversion factors (April 2016, PDF)
• Howard County, Alpha Ridge Landfill
• Howard County, landfill user fees (FY2021 schedule)