Yard Waste and Brush

Yard Waste

Yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, and garden/flowerbed waste) is collected at the curb on your scheduled garbage collection day starting May 4, 2026 and ending September 25, 2026.

Place yard waste at the curb (not in the street) the night before or by 5 am on your collection day to ensure pickup. The city collects this yard waste and processes it into compost, free to Clay County residents. For more information or to check the availability of finished compost, please call 218.979.9516.

Residents must use compostable or paper bags, or reusable containers for curbside yard waste collection. 

Reasons include alleviating the litter and costs of disposing clear plastic bags, minimizing maintenance and down time of the yard waste processing equipment, and eliminating contamination of the finished compost. The ultimate goal is to make our composting service more effective and sustainable.

Acceptable options for yard waste include:  

  • Reusable cans (up to 32 gallons in size)
  • Paper lawn bags
  • Compostable lawn bags that are BPI-Certified and ASTM D6400 Standard compliant with the stamp to the right on them.
  • Dropping off lawn waste at the City compost site, or dumpsters at Woodlawn Point (418 Elm St), the Public Works Shop (700 15 Ave N), or the Resource Recovery Center (3322 15 Ave N). 

BPI-Certified compostable or paper lawn bags can be purchased at Menards, Ace Hardware, or on online at various retailers. Compostable bags are usually green in color.

Each container or bag must not exceed 30 pounds or 32 gallons, but there is no limit on the total amount that may be picked up. If you have questions, please contact the Public Works Department at 218.299.5422.

Curbside Brush Pickup Service

Forestry will provide curbside brush chipping and pickup service May 4, 2026 to September 25, 2026. Service will occur every other week on your recycling day.

Find Your Recycling Day

The chipping service is meant for residents who prune trees on their own property. Any debris generated by the activities of tree contractors, landscapers, lawn maintenance firms or other contractor entities will not be collected.

From September to May, curbside branch pickup service will be on a call-in basis only. You may request brush pickup either using the request form or by calling: 218.299.5422 option 4.

Forestry Request Form

 

More Information:

Our chipping machines have limitations on what can be safely run through them. We are also time-limited for each house in order to ensure everyone who needs service on the route can get it that day. Here are some specifications and recommendations that will help us work as effectively as possible.

  • Branches must be 8 inches or smaller in diameter.
  • To help us work quickly, please make the pile in such a way that the base of the limbs point in the same direction. This will make it easier to grab branches and feed them into the chipper.
    • Piles with branches facing all directions take extra time because they need to be pulled apart and then fed into the machine.
  • Branches must be placed on the boulevard, not in alleys.
  • Branches should not be bundled.
  • Do not put brush in bags, garbage cans, wheelbarrows, or boxes.
  • Branches cannot be mixed with the following:
    • root balls
    • compost, leaves, trash, dirt, etc.
    • lumber, plastic, garbage, and construction and demolition material

If a resident does not want to wait until their recycling day for brush chipping, wood debris can be hauled to the City’s Compost site. Any woody debris larger than 8 inches in diameter is subject to a disposal site fee. If part of a pile is left after the brush chipping day, residents can leave it for another two weeks for the next recycling day, or they can haul it to the compost site.

(Please do not drop off tree branches at our recycling drop-off locations. These locations are for grass clippings and leaves only.)

Location:

  • Compost Site:
    • 1800 Hwy 75 N (Just north of Centennial Park Baseball Fields on Hwy 75)
  • Compost Hours:
    • Open Seasonally from April to November
    • Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
    • Saturday 8:00 am to 11:45 pm

We proudly serve 1,050 households daily. If we miss you by accident, please submit a service request or call 218.299.5422 option 4 to schedule pickup.

Roughly 2,200 yards of wood chips are generated each chipping season; this is about 715 tons per summer!

Did you know we give away the wood chips from our curbside brush pickup service? Take as much as you need from the Compost Site.

Curbside Branch and Yard Waste Pickup Examples

Acceptable pile size
Non-acceptable pile size
Non-acceptable forms of materials

Contact

Forestry Department
218.299.5422 Option 4

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Department

Forestry Department