Why You Should Stop Bagging Your Grass Clippings

Every mowing season, homeowners across Western Pennsylvania dutifully attach bags to their mowers and haul away countless bags of grass clippings. It feels productive — a tidy lawn with no visible clippings. But here's the truth most people don't realize: bagging your grass clippings is one of the worst things you can do for your lawn. You're literally throwing away free fertilizer, wasting time, and spending money unnecessarily.

Grass Clippings Are Free Fertilizer

Grass clippings are roughly 80% water and packed with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus — the same nutrients found in the fertilizer bags you buy at the store. When left on the lawn, clippings decompose quickly and return up to 25% of the nutrients your lawn needs each season. University research consistently shows that lawns where clippings are returned require significantly less supplemental fertilizer than lawns where clippings are removed.

Think about it this way: every time you bag and remove clippings, you're extracting nutrients from the soil and then paying to replace them with synthetic fertilizer. It's an expensive, unnecessary cycle.

The Thatch Myth — Debunked

The number one reason homeowners bag clippings is the belief that leaving them causes thatch buildup. This is a myth. Thatch is a layer of dead roots, stems, and runners — not grass clippings. Clippings are mostly water and decompose within days, especially during the growing season when soil microbes are active.

Thatch problems are actually caused by over-fertilizing, poor soil biology, compacted soil, or certain aggressive grass varieties — not by leaving clippings on the lawn. If your lawn has a thatch problem, bagging clippings won't solve it. Core aeration and improving soil health will.

Bagging Wastes Your Time and Money

Stopping to empty a mower bag every few passes adds significant time to every mowing session. Over a full season, you could save hours of labor by simply mulching in place. For homeowners who pay for lawn service, bagging often comes with surcharges because it requires extra labor, disposal, and sometimes landfill fees.

Then there's the disposal cost. Many municipalities charge for yard waste pickup or require special bags. In Westmoreland County and surrounding areas, bagged grass clippings take up valuable landfill space — space that wouldn't be needed if those clippings were returned to the lawn where they belong.

Environmental Impact

Grass clippings are one of the largest contributors to landfill volume during summer months. The EPA estimates that yard waste accounts for roughly 13% of all municipal solid waste, and grass clippings are the biggest piece of that. When clippings decompose in landfills without oxygen, they produce methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.

Returning clippings to the lawn eliminates this waste entirely. It's one of the easiest, most impactful environmental choices a homeowner can make — and it benefits your lawn at the same time.

Mulching Clippings Improves Soil Health

When clippings decompose on the lawn, they feed beneficial soil microorganisms. These microbes break down organic matter, improve soil structure, increase water retention, and create a healthier growing environment for grass roots. Over time, lawns that recycle clippings develop richer, more biologically active soil — reducing the need for both fertilizer and irrigation.

Healthy soil grows healthier grass, which is more resistant to drought, disease, and weed pressure. It's a virtuous cycle that starts with simply leaving your clippings where they fall.

When Clippings Look Bad (And How to Fix It)

The reason some lawns look messy after mowing without a bag is usually one of two problems: the grass was too tall when mowed, or the mower blade is dull. Both are easy fixes.

Mow regularly. Following the one-third rule — never removing more than one-third of the grass blade height in a single mow — produces small clippings that filter down to the soil surface and disappear quickly. If you let the lawn get overgrown and then scalp it, you'll get large clumps that sit on top and look unsightly.

Keep blades sharp. A sharp mower blade cuts cleanly, producing small, uniform clippings that decompose faster. A dull blade tears grass, creating ragged clippings that clump together and take longer to break down.

Use a mulching blade. Most modern mowers come with mulching blades or offer them as accessories. Mulching blades re-cut clippings into finer pieces before dispersing them, virtually eliminating visible clippings even on thick lawns.

The Only Time Bagging Makes Sense

There are a few limited situations where bagging is acceptable:

• Diseased lawns: If your lawn is actively battling a fungal disease, collecting clippings can help prevent spreading infected material across the lawn.
• Severely overgrown grass: If the lawn hasn't been mowed in weeks and you're removing a large volume of growth, collecting the first heavy cut can prevent smothering. Resume mulching once you're back on a regular schedule.
• Special events: If you need a pristine, manicured look for a party or event, bagging one time won't hurt your lawn.

Outside of these exceptions, mulching clippings back into the lawn is always the better choice.

What TruScape Recommends

At TruScape, we mulch clippings on every property we maintain unless there's a specific agronomic reason not to. Our mowing crews use commercial mulching blades, maintain sharp cutting edges, and follow disciplined mowing schedules to ensure clippings are finely cut and evenly distributed. The result is a clean, professional-looking lawn that's also getting fed every time we mow.

If you've been bagging and want to switch, the transition is simple — just stop bagging. Your lawn will start benefiting immediately. Within a few weeks, you'll notice improved color and density as nutrients recycle back into the soil.

Ready for a lawn care approach that works with nature instead of against it? TruScape's professional mowing and GroundsCare programs are built on practices that keep your lawn healthy, sustainable, and looking its best — without wasting a single clipping.