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Mulching mower. Leaves mowed into the lawn or vacuumed up and added to a backyard composter. Garden waste is either composted or binned. Trees are professionally trimmed.
We have about one tri-axel full of 'garden' waste every year - mostly leaves and straw. Because we have the space; I simply start another pile every year. After about three years I can spread the mulch around from the first year.
Now as far as services offered by municipal pickup; I would call and ask. Or call the township or county. Sometimes the local paper will tell you where to go. Here, in my county, we have a recycle center for just yard waste. You can take pickup trucks to them and you can bring home truck loads of mulch for the garden. They have one of the huge stump grinding machines that they use on all of the waste. They even load your truck for you with the big loaders. I have no idea how many other counties or municipalities have similar systems - but call and ask; you never know.
There are a variety of home compost ideas from small "garbage" can type composters, through drums, and up to full blown yard composite bins/piles. That is the best solution.
Many communities pick it up. Put it in the big paper bags designed for such purpose.
Burning is a No-No. Pollution. Might just as well put the yard waste in the trash rather than burn.
Green Recycle Center. You drop it off. A word of caution about taking compost from these places: folks put all sorts of stuff in their compost bags, including harsh weeds (think things like horse tail) which can be difficult/impossible to rid from your yard. I don't use "community" mulch/compost for that reason.
I had a small yard with no place to "hide" a composting operation. You just have to figure out how to be clever and creative.
I had a butternut squash volunteer in my compost pile this year. The base of the vine was 5" across, it grew 40' in every direction and we had over 50 full grown squash before it died. The 20 or so half mature squash left on the vine I cooked and froze for my dog. Good stuff in that compost pile full of old hay, yard waste, peelings and leaves.....
I had a butternut squash volunteer in my compost pile this year. The base of the vine was 5" across, it grew 40' in every direction and we had over 50 full grown squash before it died. The 20 or so half mature squash left on the vine I cooked and froze for my dog. Good stuff in that compost pile full of old hay, yard waste, peelings and leaves.....
I took my huge compost heap, that I have been working since forever it seems like, and spread it out to 12 feet long, 6 feet wide and about 2 ½ feet high, about 5 cubic yards, and planted zucchini and pumpkins on top of it and the sides, ate squash all summer to fall and harvested 300 pounds of pumpkins. I gave most of the pumpkins away, kept 8 for myself. Also grew cucumbers in a separate bed from the compost, 5 plants gave me nearly 500 cucumbers, had other beds with carrots, lettuce, greens, green beans and peas. Had fresh vegetables every night for four months without going to the store. I am rebuilding the heap by adding about 6 barrels a week of grass and leaves, plus rabbit manure from my rabbits. Next summer I plan on doing multiple mountains of compost instead of one huge one.
Area in the picture is about 20 feet wide and 36 feet long.
During the growing season the city picks it up the same as garbage but each have their special containers. One can also take yard waste, soil or trees to the landfill free and each goes onto their own piles and compost is made from it for sale. My mower mulches however the lawn is small. We also have our own composter. The city's gets filled up with spruce needles and cones and the coarser waste. It is a very dry area here so compost is more slowly than if we actually got rain or snow during the year.
We have a stainless steel container in the house to collect organics and feed the composter all winter. Due to that and reclying all we can our household of two adults and no pets anymore produces about one grocery plastic bag of garbage per week.
Built myself a large compost bin out of 4x4 and 1x6. All the yard debris goes in there along with kitchen scraps. We're adding a second bin next year....the leaves and grass just take up so much space during the summer and fall that we ned another bin. But the next year we have gold for our gardens.
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