Yard Waste
What is Yard Waste?
Yard waste is classified as resident generated grass and shrub clippings, garden residue and sticks, branches and limbs from around your yard.
Yard Waste is Collected Separately
State laws prohibit yard waste from being buried in landfills. Therefore, all yard waste is collected separately and taken to a compost facility for recycling into organic soil products. The facility is located at the Alamance County landfill. Yard waste that is containerized as well as yard waste of small volume, less than 4 feet in length will be collected on your normal collection day.
Larger yard waste, in volume or length, is collected Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday on a convenience schedule by a special knuckle boom truck.
How to Properly Prepare Yard Waste for Pickup
- CONTAINERIZE IT: Use your own metal or plastic trash can, no larger than 32 gallons. Filled cans should weigh no more than 50 pounds. Plastic bags are no longer acceptable and are banned at the disposal site.
- STACK IT: Place shrub, brush and limb clippings in a neat pile, loose on the ground, to be collected. Grass, leaves and other loose yard waste must be placed in your own metal or plastic trash container, no larger than 32 gallons. Filled cans should weigh no more than 50 lbs. Stumps, limbs or logs larger than 6 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter will not be collected.
DO NOT PLACE YARD WASTE IN YOUR BLACK ROLL-OUT CONTAINER OR RECYCLE CART
Tree Limbs / Tree Services
If you hire a contractor to cut a tree or trim limbs, please arrange to have the contractor dispose of the remains.
The City does not haul contractor waste by ordinance. You will be billed directly if the city disposes of material generated by a contractor. Disposal fees will be calculated on a case by case basis.
City of Burlington Code of Ordinances
Sec. 33-31. - Curbside collection service No vegetative debris will be collected if generated by commercial tree contractors or landscaping contractors. (August 21, 2018 recodification)