Yard Waste Disposal

Yard Waste Disposal

The Solid Waste Department would like to remind residents that leaves and other yard waste are banned from landfill disposal. This means they don’t belong in your garbage bin, and your hauler may not pick up your bin if it has yard waste in it. Landfill space is valuable – don’t waste it on yard waste you can drop off – often at no charge.

Leaves and other yard waste can be dropped off at the City of Fergus Falls landfill and after-hours yard waste site (no charge to city residents) or the Pelican Rapids, North East, Henning, and Battle Lake Transfer Stations free of charge for county residents. Transfer Stations accept brush up to 4″ in diameter for a small fee.

Use these tips for better leaf and yard waste disposal:

1. Do not put yard waste in with your trash or recycling. Then it’s just trash. Composting yard waste saves landfill space for the real trash that cannot be recycled and composted.
2. If you want to drop off leaves at a free yard waste site, line a truck bed or trailer with a large tarp, and either fold over or add another tarp on top to contain leaves. This is actually easier than filling a bunch of bags! You can even rake leaves onto a tarp laid out on the ground, then pick it up by holding the corners.
3. Use reusable yard waste totes, or other leaf bag alternatives. Although paper bags will work, choosing something that can be reused multiple times is the best.
4. If you are able, mulch in your leaves a few times during the fall with a mower. This works for a light covering of leaves, and is a free boost of nutrients for your lawn.
5. Leave some leaves. Insects and wildlife actually require a little leaf cover on the ground to overwinter. Leaving a light layer of leaves is beneficial for wildlife, and saves you a little extra raking! Just make sure to keep leaves off the street and curb, as excess nutrients from the leaves can negatively impact water quality.
6. Use leaves to mulch around the base of trees and shrubs, or in gardens. This can help regulate soil temperature, hold soil moisture, and provide nutrients for trees or perennials, much like a leaf litter layer in a forest.
7. Compost your own leaves. This saves you bagging and transportation! You can make a simple bin out of pallets or a circle of chicken wire, or buy a bin. Layer in leaves (browns) and food scraps (greens) to get a good balance of carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens) for the perfect compost pile. A good ratio is about 2:1 carbon to nitrogen. Green nitrogen-rich food scraps or grass clippings can get too wet, so adding double the dry brown carbon-rich leaves will help aerate your compost pile and balance out the nitrogen.

If you are disposing of invasive species, it is often recommended to kill the vegetation and let it decompose on site. For more information on control of invasive species please view information on the topic on the MN Department of Agriculture website.