Branches, brush, leaves, and landscaping debris drive reliable seasonal volume that fills spring and fall schedules at $15–$35/ton disposal costs.
Last updated: Mar 2026
Pricing
Pricing considerations for the job size, materials and access requirements.
$100–$200
Loading loose leaves, brush, or small branch piles
Transport to green waste facility within 15 miles
Green waste disposal fee included
Basic site rake-out after loading
Charge $175–$200 when material is rain-soaked — wet leaves and grass clippings weigh 3–5× more than dry, increasing fuel burn and dump fees. Also charge high end for long backyard carries exceeding 75 feet from pile to truck.
$200–$400
Loading mixed yard waste — brush, branches under 6 inches, leaves
Chainsaw bucking of branches over 4 inches into loadable sections
Transport and disposal at green waste composting facility
Post-load area cleanup with rake and blower
Price toward $350–$400 when the pile includes soil, sod, or logs over 6 inches diameter. Soil mixed with organic debris often gets reclassified at the facility, bumping your disposal from $25/ton green waste to $45–$65/ton C&D rates. Factor that cost shift into your quote upfront.
$400–$600+
Full truckload of branches, brush, and mixed yard debris
May require two loads for full-property clearing or storm cleanup
All chainsaw bucking and brush trimming for packing
Complete site cleanup including raking and debris sweep
Storm damage jobs routinely hit $550–$750 because downed limbs are tangled, heavy, and scattered across the property. Full-property clearing after neglect — 6+ months of growth — often takes two loads and 3+ hours of crew time. Price the second load at $250–$350 on top of your base quote to protect your margin.
$350–$500per visit
Scheduled monthly or bi-weekly yard waste collection across 5–20 units
Dedicated route optimization for clustered properties
Bulk green waste disposal at negotiated facility rates
Simple reporting for property manager invoicing
HOA contracts look attractive at volume but watch your per-stop time. If each unit averages more than 20 minutes of loading, you are underpricing. Set a per-unit cap of 1/8 truck and charge overage at $75 per additional quarter-truck to protect your hourly rate above $125/crew-hour.
Checklist
Yard waste ranges from a few bags of leaves to storm-downed trees covering an entire property. Nail these details during the quote to avoid underpricing by 30–50% on heavy or wet material.
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Different materials route to different facilities and weigh dramatically differently. Soil goes to C&D, not green waste.
A 10×6×4 pile of dry brush looks like a full truck but compresses to half a load. Wet material does not compress and weighs 3–5× more.
Over 8–12 inches likely needs a tree service with a chipper — decline and refer out to protect your schedule.
Backyard carries over 75 feet add 30–45 minutes per load. Hillside properties with no truck access can double your crew time.
a half truck of wet grass can hit 1,500 lbs versus 400 lbs dry, tripling your dump fee.
Green waste facilities reject contaminated loads on the spot — you will eat the drive time and pay MSW landfill rates instead.
Offer a 10–15% discount for monthly commitments and lock them in before landscapers do.
Field operations
A pitchfork handles tangled brush better than any shovel. Budget $30–$50 for a commercial-grade set that lasts two seasons.
A $25 poly tarp saves 20–30 minutes per job. Replace monthly during peak season — they shred on gravel driveways.
A $300–$450 Stihl or Husqvarna handles 90% of yard waste jobs. Keep two sharpened chains on the truck at all times.
Four ratchet straps plus a mesh or poly cover tarp prevent debris blowout and a $200–$500 unsecured load citation.
Saves 5–10 minutes per job on small-to-medium piles and reduces noise complaints in residential neighborhoods.
A two-wheel garden cart handles 400 lbs and stays stable on uneven ground where a single-wheel barrow tips. Budget $120–$180 for a steel-frame model.
Compact material means fewer trips — every extra load costs you $35–$60 in disposal plus 45 minutes of drive time.
Also makes post-load cleanup look professional — customers notice a clean driveway and leave 5-star reviews.
A smooth surface lets you tip or rake out a load in 5 minutes versus 15 minutes of hand-scooping.
Heavy-duty work gloves — thorns and splinters are guaranteed on every yard waste job
Safety glasses with wrap-around protection — mandatory during any chainsaw operation and when loading overhead branches
Hearing protection rated NRR 25+ for chainsaw use — OSHA requires it above 85 dB and a chainsaw hits 110 dB
Steel-toe boots with ankle support — falling logs and heavy sod rolls are the most common foot injury source
Long-sleeve shirt and chaps for chainsaw operation — $60 chainsaw chaps prevent the $15,000 ER visit
Workflow
Execute the job safely and efficiently every time.
Identify material types — dry brush, wet leaves, logs, soil — because each has different weight and disposal routing. Estimate truck loads by measuring pile dimensions and compressing a test section by hand. Yard waste compresses 40–60% when packed.
Trim brush with loppers so it lays flat in the truck bed. This step is where most crews lose time — set a 15-minute cap on chainsaw work per job. If it needs more, you underquoted and the job is tree service territory.
For heavy soil or sod, use a wheelbarrow. Staging everything before loading cuts your total on-site time by 20–30% because your loader is not waiting on your hauler.
Loose leaves and grass clippings fill gaps on top. This layering technique fits 30–40% more material per load. Tarp the load and secure with ratchet straps before moving to the road.
Customers photograph their yard immediately after you leave — a clean site drives repeat bookings and referrals. Spend 5–10 minutes on this step. It is the highest-ROI time on any yard waste job.
Weigh your load on arrival and keep the receipt. If the facility rejects your load for contamination, you will drive to the MSW landfill and pay $55–$85 per ton instead, killing your margin entirely.
This data builds your quoting accuracy over time. After 30–50 yard waste jobs, your estimates should land within 10% of actual cost. ScaleYourJunk auto-tracks disposal fees per job so you see true profit, not guessed profit.
Disposal
This is your default destination for all clean yard waste. Most facilities charge by weight — expect $15–$35 per ton depending on your market. Build a relationship with one facility and negotiate a commercial rate after 10+ visits per month. Some facilities offer $12–$18/ton for high-volume accounts.
$15–$35/ton
Commercial operators may need a business license to use them, and some charge $10–$20 per load for commercial accounts. Check your local regulations — some municipalities restrict commercial use entirely. When available, this is the cheapest disposal option in the business.
$0–$20per load
This eliminates disposal cost entirely and some customers will pay a premium for fresh mulch. Works best on large jobs with 50% or more branch material. Chips from a 6-inch chipper cover roughly 200 square feet at 3 inches deep per full truck of branches.
$0disposal + $150–$250/day chipper rental
Safety & compliance
Walk away from these. The margin isn’t worth the risk.
Red Flags — Decline or Reprice
Profitability
Gross margins land at 40–55% on residential yard waste — lower ticket than furniture or appliance jobs but disposal costs are the cheapest in the industry at $15–$35/ton versus $55–$85/ton for MSW. Your margin lever is speed, not price.
Green waste disposal averaging $20–$30 per full truck load means your disposal cost per job is often under $40 — compare that to $120–$180 for a mixed debris load at the landfill. The spread goes straight to your bottom line.
Seasonal demand peaks in March through May and September through November fill schedule gaps that would otherwise go empty between higher-ticket indoor jobs. A 2-truck operation can add $8,000–$14,000 in revenue during a 6-week spring push.
Yard waste pairs naturally with garage cleanouts, estate cleanouts, and fence removals — the yard is often the last phase. Upsell at the end of an indoor job while your truck is already on-site and you capture $150–$300 incremental revenue with zero additional drive time.
Recurring monthly yard waste customers generate $200–$400 per month per account with minimal quoting overhead. Five recurring accounts produce $12,000–$24,000 in annual revenue that requires no marketing spend to maintain.
Risk management
Your primary claim exposure is property damage — sprinkler heads, irrigation lines, landscape lighting, and fence panels get hit during loading. Average property damage claim on yard waste jobs runs $800–$2,500. Make sure your GL deductible is under $1,000.
However, if you are removing tree stumps, pulling out root balls, or tearing up landscape features like retaining walls, your insurer may classify the work as demolition. Confirm with your agent before accepting stump or hardscape removal work.
Chainsaw use, heavy log lifting, and repetitive bending are the top three injury sources. Workers comp for junk removal typically runs $4.50–$7.50 per $100 of payroll depending on your state and claims history. Chainsaw injuries spike this rate — enforce chaps-and-glasses policy every time.
Operator tips
Lay a 10×12 tarp next to the pile, load material onto it, then drag to the truck.
This method is 4–5× faster than carrying armfuls of brush and reduces back strain on your crew. Replace tarps monthly during peak season — a torn tarp costs you more in crew time than the $25 replacement.
Zero tolerance for household trash, plastic, or treated wood in your green waste load.
One contaminated load gets rejected at the composting facility, costing you an extra 45 minutes of drive time to the landfill plus $55–$85/ton MSW disposal. Train your crew to physically separate any non-organic material before loading.
Launch spring cleanup campaigns in early March and fall leaf campaigns in mid-September.
Two weeks of lead time fills your schedule before competitors activate. Use ScaleYourJunk marketing automation templates to trigger email and postcard campaigns tied to seasonal dates. Operators who pre-market see 30–40% higher booking rates in peak weeks.
Many jurisdictions fine uncovered loads $200–$500 on public roads.
A $20 mesh tarp and four ratchet straps take 3 minutes to secure and prevent citations. One operator in Denver racked up $1,400 in fines over two months before he started tarping — that is pure profit lost to laziness.
After your tenth visit in a month, ask the green waste facility manager for a commercial account rate.
Most facilities will drop from $25–$35/ton to $15–$20/ton for consistent volume. That $10–$15/ton savings adds up to $400–$800/month during peak season on a two-truck operation.
Yard waste removal costs $100–$200 for a small pile (quarter truck), $200–$400 for a half truck, and $400–$600+ for a full truck load. Green waste disposal is the cheapest category at $15–$35 per ton, keeping your total job cost well below mixed-debris or furniture removal. Wet material costs more because soaked leaves and grass weigh 3–5× more than dry, increasing both fuel consumption and disposal fees. Always ask about recent rainfall before quoting.
Most junk removal companies remove cut branches, brush, and tree debris — not standing trees. If the trunk is under 8–12 inches diameter and already down, a junk crew can buck it with a chainsaw and haul it. Standing trees, root balls, and stumps over 12 inches require a licensed tree service with a chipper, crane access, and arborist insurance. Many operators partner with local tree services and haul the debris they leave behind for $200–$400 per load.
Green waste includes branches, brush, leaves, grass clippings, hedge trimmings, untreated wood, and plant material. It does not include soil, rocks, sod with dirt attached, treated or painted lumber, plastic bags, or household trash. Composting facilities inspect loads on arrival and reject contaminated material on the spot. A rejected load forces you to the MSW landfill at $55–$85 per ton — roughly triple the green waste rate — so train your crew to keep loads clean.
Peak yard waste demand runs March through May for spring cleanup and September through November for fall leaf removal. These two windows typically generate 50–65% of annual yard waste revenue for junk removal operators. Storm damage creates unpredictable spikes year-round — ice storms in winter and wind events in summer both produce emergency demand at premium pricing. Smart operators launch marketing campaigns two weeks before each season to fill schedules first.
Price yard waste by estimated truck volume, not by the hour. A quarter truck at $100–$200, half truck at $200–$400, and full truck at $400–$600+ covers most residential jobs. Factor in material weight — dry brush is light but wet grass is extremely heavy and costs more at the scale. Add $75–$150 for backyard carries over 75 feet and a 25–30% surcharge for wet conditions after rain. Track your actual disposal costs per load for 30 jobs to dial in your pricing accurately.
Resources
Outdoor structure removal often bundled with yard clearing — shared disposal routing and crew overlap make same-day pairing efficient.
Backyard structure teardown pairs naturally with yard cleanup. Combine jobs to eliminate a second truck roll and boost per-stop revenue.
Record disposal cost, tons, the dump site and a receipt photo in the driver app.
Seasonal campaign templates trigger spring and fall yard waste outreach automatically — fill your schedule before competitors wake up.
Customers pick their material type at booking so your crew arrives with the right equipment and accurate volume expectations.
ScaleYourJunk marketing automation captures spring and fall yard waste bookings on autopilot. Load-based booking tells your crew exactly what material to expect. Dispatch assigns the nearest available truck.
Included in Starter ($149/mo) and Growth ($299/mo). Annual billing is available.
