How to get rid of lots of yard waste?

October 10, 2008 11:51 AM

I have a bunch of limbs and vines that I need to get rid of - probably a whole dump truck full. What's the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of them?

Chip/shred them, which creates mulch but also burns gasoline (from the chipper/shredder); burn them, which creates ash but also pollutes the air; bag them, which will use dozens of paper bags; or haul them off, which will burn gasoline from the dump truck?

posted by adverb to science & nature (11 comments total)

Composting them would be the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of them. Whether or not you have the space to do that is another question. I grew up on a farm where we had a "brush pile" where all the clippings/prunings/leaves/branches/etc went to mellow. Depending on the size and composition of the stuff, it took anywhere from a few months to a few years for it to break down. Your local parks department (if you are in a suburban or urban area) might have a brush/mulch pile that you can contribute to.
posted by gyusan at 12:21 PM on October 10, 2008

I would compost the vines and Craigslist the limbs as free kindling/firewood.
posted by headnsouth at 12:24 PM on October 10, 2008

compost
posted by zeoslap at 12:26 PM on October 10, 2008

Brush piles provide cover for critters!
posted by steef at 12:31 PM on October 10, 2008

Rent a ruminant?
posted by crazycanuck at 12:49 PM on October 10, 2008

Compost pit. Dig a pit and place it all in. Cover with dirt/sod and you won't even know it was there
posted by Gungho at 1:00 PM on October 10, 2008

If you have space, compost at home, but brush takes longer to compost, esp. limbs. Call the town office. There may be a town composting project for brush. Some towns make the finished compost available for your yard.
posted by theora55 at 1:27 PM on October 10, 2008

Many municipalities will take it away, shred/chip it, and offer it as free compost materials to residents who want it. I would call your city and ask.
posted by stormygrey at 1:32 PM on October 10, 2008

For a moment I thought this was a question from Dexter, but then I read closer and saw the OP mentioned vines....
posted by trinity8-director at 3:43 PM on October 10, 2008

What is it? If it's kudzu or honeysuckle or something you don't want to be chopping it up and spreading it all around the countryside. That stuff needs to be burnt or landfilled.
posted by fshgrl at 8:29 PM on October 10, 2008

It's mostly honeysuckle and briars (smilax, according to my Google-fu). Even if I chop it up, it will come back?
posted by adverb at 9:06 AM on October 12, 2008