Composting & Grasscycling

Did You Know...

Food: According to the EPA, food is landfilled more than any other material in the United States.
Plant material: The "waste" that comes from our yards can be easy to keep on site and is actually a valuable resource!
Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 30 percent of what Americans throw away each year.

Composting these materials at home keeps them out of landfills (where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas). Composting also produces a rich material that is great for your yard and garden! The Division of Solid Waste and Recycling sells compost bins and offers free classes to help facilitate this activity in our community. Several local town/city offices also offer compost bins, so check with your municipality as well.

Composting How-To

Composting is an easy (and unobtrusive) to do, fitting right in to most backyards and busy household schedules.

Here's a handout from one of our "How To Compost" classes.

Here's a list of stuff you can compost.

Here's the lowdown on some common composting myths.

AND, for those seeking to reduce waste but unable to compost at home, Key City Compost is a local business that can collect materials and do the work for you!

Yard Waste

Yard waste is prohibited by local ordinance from being disposed in the Frederick County Landfill. This pertains to both residential and commercial users and includes materials normally generated in the maintenance of gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas, such as leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs, and prunings. Yard waste does not include: land clearing debris, waste pavement, soil, or any edible food products (fruits and vegetables).

To manage yard waste, residents are encouraged to:

We also provide a free drop off location for the collection of yard waste. Yard waste processed by the county is converted into mulch or compost for sale at the 9031 Reichs Ford Road Yard Waste Recycling site.