Grass Clipping Public Outreach Campaign
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Join local lawn care professionals, Alachua County, the City of Gainesville, and the Florida Department of Transportation in keeping grass off the streets! Keeping grass clippings and other plant material out of the streets helps protect local water quality and wildlife. Learn more below.
When it rains, grass clippings, leaves, and other vegetative debris is washed down our storm drains and into our stormwater collection systems. If this material does not clog up the system, it often ends up in stormwater basins, creeks, or lakes where it begins to decay. This process consumes oxygen while releasing nutrients which can lead to fish kills and algal blooms. Don’t let your grass turn into pollution!
Grass clippings left in the road:
- look bad
- are bad for the environment
- clog storm drains, cause flooding,
and increase maintenance costs for tax payers
- are hazardous to motorists and cyclists
- can lead to fines
The Alachua County Fertilizer Standards and Management Practices Code (Chapter 78.09) prohibits washing, sweeping, or blowing vegetative debris into storm drains, ditches, waterbodies, sidewalks, and roads. Fines can be issued to those that are caught violating this code.
Grass clippings are beneficial!
According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension, grass clippings are beneficial to lawns and provide free nutrients for your grass and other plants, so blow them back up onto your yard. Leaves can be used as mulch, composted, or put in paper bags or re-usable containers for your waste disposal company to pick up. Thanks for helping to keep grass off the streets and leaves and other yard debris out of the storm drains!