It’s a very exciting time for city residents who’ve been confused about the City of Greensboro leaf collection policies for decades. The city has apparently decided on the next new policy that hopefully will be in existence for years. And you should know that the new era arrives next week when the city begins leaving 95-gallon yard waste containers at houses.

On Wednesday, April 3, City of Greensboro officials announced that the Solid Waste and Recycling Department will begin delivering the large gray containers on Monday, April 8, and the distribution process should last until roughly May 20, which is how long it will take to deliver more than 75,000 containers to residents across the city.

As most people know by now, each household will get one container, unless they opted out of receiving a container – or unless they choose to buy a second one.

Every household that purchased a second container before April 1 will also receive that second container by May 20.

“Residents may begin using the containers as soon as they arrive,” according to a Wednesday press release that also includes a helpful section on “How to Use Your Yard Waste Container.”

You might think the way to use it is to put yard waste in it and leave it at the curb, but, like every City of Greensboro leaf or yard waste collection policy, there’s a whole lot more to it than that.

Here’s a list of instructions as to how you can keep the city crews content:

  • Use for leaves, branches and grass clippings only. Don’t place plastic bags, animal waste, food, plant pots, rocks, soil, mulch, dirt or any other items in the yard waste container.
  • Close the lid of the container to keep the rain out.
  • Place your container at your curb on your weekly garbage collection day.
  • If you have more yard waste than fits in the container, put the extra waste in paper yard waste bags or bundle it with twine. (The city notes that bags or bundles must be shorter than 5-feet long and weigh less than 50 pounds or they won’t be picked up.)

In addition to keeping those rules in mind, each household has a limit of 10 bags/bundles per week from February to October.  However, things get 50 percent better from November to January, when there will be a grand limit of 15 bags/bundles per week.

If you have personal yard waste cans, you can use those for extra waste through June 30 of this year, but, after that, you’re out of luck.

Greensboro residents can purchase one additional container for $65. If this sounds enticing to you, call the City of Greensboro Contact Center at 336-373-CITY to order one.

There’s still more to learn since the new yard waste container policy is part of “a larger shift in yard waste rules this year.”  Learn all the rules by visiting www.greensboro-nc.gov/YardWaste2024.