If you need to haul away yard waste free, you may have a multitude of options. You just need to know what they are. And you might have to do a little homework to find that free yard waste disposal.

Sure, you could wait for the weekly yard waste pick up — if your community offers that service. But what do you do when you just need to get rid of those branches, leaves, and grass clippings right now? For free?

As for me, I turn to my community waste collection system, where resident homeowners can dump yard waste free.

Many municipalities offer these services for free. You need to check your community to see if there are any public or private organizations offering free yard waste disposal.

Here’s how I haul away yard waste free…

Step-By-Step: Photos Of How I Hauled Yard Waste To The Dump For Free

Even if you prepare your yard for tropical storms or hurricanes, winds from a landfalling weather system can still bring down tree limbs and branches. That’s what happened in our yard when Hurricane Milton barreled through.

Our county had hired private contractors to come through and pick up yard debris for free. But it had been weeks since the storm hit and our pile of branches and tree debris still sat by the street.

I decided it was time to roll up my sleeves and take it to the dump myself!

Luckily, our municipality offers free yard waste disposal anyway — even when there aren’t cleanup efforts after storms. So, I fired up our 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, removed the back seats, and packed the branches and tree debris myself.

I laid a tarp across the back of the van to protect the interior from sap, dirt, or scratches from the tree debris.

And then once all the tree debris was in the van, I hauled away the yard waste to the regional disposal site. But before I could haul away yard waste free, I had to get weighed first.

Ooooof, 4,180 pounds… Looks like I better lay off the cookies for a little while… OOOOH, wait — that’s the weight of the van, and the yard waste, annnnnnd me. OK, I feel a little better now…

Then in I went, backing the van up to the designated yard waste dump spot.

I just pulled that tarp right out of the back of the van — no fuss, no muss! I rolled that tree debris from the yard right into the big pile.

Well, almost… I raked up some of the leaves and small twigs into a pile to dispose of with the regular waste collection. Luckily, my county also offers free, weekly yard waste pickup!

Tip For Hauling Yard Waste Free To The Dump

I always place a tarp in the back of my vehicle before putting any yard waste in it. As seen in the photos above, tarps help keep the vehicle clean. They can also make it easier to remove the debris at the dump.

But there are a few other things you should know before you haul away yard waste free.

Do the job during weekday midmornings if you can

This is a good time to haul away yard waste free because fewer people can go during those hours. And most free yard waste disposal sites get pretty busy — especially on weekends. Ask the free yard waste disposal site when their slower times are and plan to go then if you can.

Have your proof of residency ready

Many municipal-run places where you can haul away yard waste free require proof of residency or ownership of a home or business in that community. Sometimes they ask for this at the dump site. Usually a copy of your tax bill is sufficient for proving ownership, while a utility bill can verify rental residency. But find out ahead of time what type of identification you’ll need to show the yard waste site when you arrive and be sure to bring those documents with you!

Bring help if you need it

Hauling away yard waste free isn’t always easy. Remember, many hands make light work! Bring along someone to help you pack up your vehicle and unload it at the dump site. Oh, and maybe offer to buy them lunch after!

Clean out your vehicle after

This may seem common-sense enough, but sometimes in the rush of disposing yard waste free it’s easy to forget the steps that come after the messy part of the job is done. I always break out the shop vac right after getting back home from a yard waste run. The sooner the better to remove leaves, dirt, or other schmutz. You’ll also want to act quickly to remove any insects that may have been hiding away in the yard debris. You don’t want any creepy “friends” taking up residency in your vehicle. Believe me… I’ve been there, done that! Oy vey…