Single-use plastic, such as plastic yard waste bags, create numerous environmental problems. Single-use plastic creates more than 8 million tons of waste in the ocean every year and emits toxic and poisonous gases into the atmosphere, damaging our ecosystem and causing both climate change and health issues.
Conversely, paper bags are extracted from unbleached, recycled brown kraft paper, which saves natural resources and energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to environmental concerns, plastic yard waste bags create operational issues, including delaying the collection of materials on scheduled days of collection. Eliminating single-use, plastic yard waste bags will effectively improve efficiency by reducing the amount of time required to provide service at each home.
Also, the yard waste disposal facility does not accept yard waste in plastic bags. This requires our crews to debag leaves at the curb, which increases collection times and increases the amount of time required to complete routes on the scheduled day of collection.
When setting out yard waste for collection, use paper yard waste bags or reusable containers weighing no more than 50 pounds.
Public Works does not accept yard waste in plastic bags.
Paper yard bags and reusable containers can be purchased at local discount, hardware and home improvement stores.
Compostable plastic bags are not accepted as they are not accepted by the yard waste disposal site because they compromise the integrity of the compost product.
Residents can place grass and grass clippings, leaves, flowers, small pruning, limbs and twigs in paper bags. Yard waste does not include dirt, mulch, and rocks.
Residents are advised to place properly prepared yard waste at the curb on their collection day in paper yard waste bags or reusable plastic containers that weigh no more than 50 pounds.
Residents are allowed to have up to 30 paper bags and/or reusable containers each week. Yard waste will not be collected in tarps.
In March 2022, the Town of Wake Forest stopped collecting plastic bags for disposal of yard waste, including compostable plastic yard waste bags. Residents must use paper yard waste bags or reusable containers weighing no more than 50 pounds for their yard waste.