Environmentally friendly end to tree trimmings

April 14, 2008 4:15 AM

Is there some easy, cheap and useful way to deal with twiggy tree branch trimmings at home?

I’m not allowed to set fire to them and transport is an issue. They won’t fit in our compost bins or the municipal waste bins. The last lot I used for mulching but grass (paspalum - not lawn) grew up between the gaps in the branches, so not really successful, even though it was a very large pile. We tried a friend's large shredder once, and it couldn't deal with the volume.

posted by b33j to home & garden (7 comments total)

Depending on how much room you have and the size and bushiness of the branches you have, you might be able to just cut them up and bury them in your garden deeply enough to get them permanently out of the way. If you normally till your garden to depth X, bury them at depth X plus a little. They'll be deep, long-term compost. They'll take some time to decompose, of course, but eventually they will. If they're too thick to cut up with secateurs, though, and you don't want to have to cut them up with a saw, you might have a problem with this.
posted by pracowity at 4:38 AM on April 14

Freecycle? Someone might take them for a craft project, for burning in their own fireplace, for ???
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:29 AM on April 14

Brush piles are a great bird habitat. I have an area of overgrowth in the back corner of my yard where there is a large stump covered with wild blackberries. I put my branches over there, and the birds love it. I have a small yard in a semi-urban space.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:32 AM on April 14

I would suggest that you buy or rent a chipper/shredder. There are electric ones, but the gasoline-powered models are much more robust; they can be found new or used for not much money. Or just rent one for the day, and let the maintenance and storage be someone else's problem. It takes a few hours if you have a big pile of brush, and you end up with a nice (and much smaller) pile of mulch ready to use.
posted by Forktine at 6:58 AM on April 14

It won't use a lot up, but twiggy branches are perfect for growing peas up. They're also good for discouraging pigeons from eating new pea shoots. So when the shoots are new you can lay the banches over the top if them, then stand them up as the peas grow and use instead of pea netting. (Also applies to Sweet Peas of course!)
posted by brighton at 7:50 AM on April 14

Check with your municipality. According to my city's Department of Environmental Management,

You have several options for getting rid of yard trimmings and brush weekly:

Bag it
Place leaves, grass clippings and other small trimmings in Paper Yard Bags purchased at grocery stores, hardware and garden stores. Roll the paper yard bag top closed like a lunch sack. Please, don't staple or tape to close. Do not use plastic bags as they contaminate the mulch. There is no limit on the number of paper bags you may set out.

Bundle it
Use string or twine to bundle shrub and tree trimmings. Bundles should be no more than four feet in length and weigh no more than 40 pounds. People, not machines pick these up by hand. There is no limit on the number of tied bundles you may set out.

Stack it
Individual tree and shrub limbs up to eight feet long and four inches in diameter each can be stacked at the curb on your weekly pickup day. No plastic bags, garbage, bulky items, stumps or root balls are accepted in brush piles. Root balls and stumps (maximum 18" diameter) may be placed in the Bulky Items Pile.

If pile is over ten cubic yards (about eight feet long, six feet wide and six feet tall), you will be Charged Extra.

You must provide your own disposal within 48 hours if you receive a notice of violation for setting out more than 30 cubic yards and notify the city. If you don’t call, the city will charge you a trip fee and you will be issued a citation.

Cart it
Use the optional 96 gallon Green Yard cart that you may purchase from the city. There is no additional monthly service charge to empty the yard cart weekly.

Drop it off
You may also take brush to a city Drop-off Station to avoid extra pickup fees and get rid of items quickly.

Yard trimmings and brush collection are included in weekly residential curbside garbage service. However, the city encourages composting and other organic gardening methods to promote a healthier landscape and reduce the amount of leaves, grass clippings and yard trimmings that must be hauled away

Check with your municipality's trash collection/environmental management department to see what your options are.
posted by Doohickie at 11:26 AM on April 14

You can drive them out to your local dump, or a better option would be to take them to a municipal yard waste facility that will probably toss them in a giant chipper.

You can cut them up and put them in your trash bin.

You can get a bigger, badder chipper than the one your friend has and turn them into wood chips.

You can give them away for firewood.
posted by yohko at 1:27 PM on April 14