Guide to Yard Waste Disposal In Philadelphia

Reader Question: When are we going to get citywide yard waste pick up? It is ridiculous to put yard waste in a landfill when it can be composted.

Sincerely, Spring Cleaning

Philly Places to dispose (and Recycle) yard waste Year-Round

Dear Spring Cleaning,

We totally agree, no sense in sending yard waste to the landfill when we can recycle it as useful compost instead. According to the EPA, yard trimmings make up about 13.5% of U.S. municipal waste before recycling – so it’s important to get it into compost where it belongs. It’s important enough that we pay for compost at GPB!

Philadelphia does do citywide yard waste pickups and leaf recycling but the program runs during a six-week period in the fall when the majority of fall leaf clearing is going on.

But don’t worry, there are options for composting yard waste in the spring too. Here are three places to bring yard waste and one more alternative.

Sanitation Convenience Centers

Did you know that Philadelphia has six Sanitation Convenience Centers? Find out which location is closest to you. On Saturdays, the centers accept yard waste for recycling. Just make sure that your yard waste is contained in biodegradable paper bags instead of plastic. Make sure your bags contain only compostable yard waste and are free from contamination with other forms of waste.

Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center

Philadelphia residents can also pay a visit to the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center. Leaves, brush, and grass clippings are all accepted yard waste materials and can be brought to their location at 3850 Ford Road, Philadelphia, PA 19131. Residents can also get up to a gallon of compost from the center free of charge.

The Dirt Factory – CLOSED (updated: 2018)

University City’s own Dirt Factory aims reduce the amount of compostable material that ends up in landfills. They accept all sorts of organic waste including yard waste like pine needles, leaves, and grass clippings. The facility is located at 4308 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Drop-off periods are 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM every Wednesday and 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM each Saturday.

DIY Compost

Also, consider composting on your own to save money and produce your own compost for your garden.

There are loads of guides on how to compost on the Internet. Local compost expert Tyler Weaver educates and troubleshoots on his website. We like this How to Compost guide and there are also companies like Hayneedle that make products to help you dive into composting (hopefully not literally).

Readers, do you have any composting advice or questions?