Summer is often filled with home renovation and yard projects, whether you want to be doing them or not. It’s nice to be able to clear your yard of all of the clutter and debris, and overall improve the look of your yard, but then you’re left with a pile of waste. And chances are, if you are doing a lot of yard clean up at once, your dumpster is filled to overflowing and you’re just not sure what to do with the rest of your yard waste.

Call your local sanitation department

You don’t necessarily have to wait until your next trash day in order to get rid of all of your yard waste! There is a limit to what and how much they will pick up, but in many cases, you can schedule to have your sanitation department pick up yard waste, which they will repurpose by turning it into mulch. This option varies by city, but may be a great option if you have a lot of leaves, sod, and tree prunings that you need to get rid of.

Rent a chipper

If you are working on a lot of big yard projects and you know that you will have a lot of yard waste leftover after, another option is for you to rent a chipper! This will make the bulk of the mess significantly smaller, meaning you can fit it into your dumpster more easily, or repurpose it as mulch in your own yard. Call your local hardware store and ask them about their rates for renting a chipper. They usually vary from $200-$400 a day.

Go to the dump

Another option, if you are pressed for time, is to just take a trip to the dump. Yard waste is biodegradable, and it’s not bad for the environment for you to take it to the dump. It just means you have to load it into your own car or truck, and you may have to pay to take it into the dump. Check with your dump before you go and see if they accept yard waste for recycling purposes. They often charge a per load or per weight fee, but some areas will let you dump for free if it’s your first time within a calendar year to use the dump.

Composting

Another great thing to consider doing with your yard waste, is to compost it. You can use it as mulch for gardening. There are so many ways that you can utilize compost, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Simply pick a place in your yard to be your compost pile, pile up any yard waste that is no longer living(you don’t want discarded plants to start growing from your compost). You’ll want to bring a shovel out to your compost pile about once a week to give it a stir and mix it all up, so everything has a chance to decompose. When you are able to recycle your yard waste, you are able to break everything down into organic compounds that will give back to the soil and plants in the area. When yard waste breaks down without oxygen, however, it breaks down into methane, which is toxic for the environment. So whenever possible, you should find ways to recycle your yard waste in natural ways.

Don’t burn it

Although in some areas you would be allowed to burn your yard waste, we don’t recommend it! It emits pollutants into the air, as well as it can be hard to control and can lead to larger fires. The best option is to find other ways to dispose of your yard waste.