08/28/2026
What is “yard trash” and why does it cost so much? This is a question that a lot of people may have and we’re happy to explain what we do, how it works, and why it cost what it does.
Yard trash is organic, biodegradable material generated from maintaining lawns, gardens, trees, shrubs, and landscapes. It’s the kind of debris you clean up after mowing, pruning or landscaping, and it naturally decomposes. 
What does it cost? If you have a residential water account then you automatically have a yard trash account and we encourage each resident to make use of this service. Commercial properties are not automatically charged for yard trash, but they can opt in if they choose to. The monthly fee for yard trash collection is $9.82.  That equals out to be about $2.26 a week over the course of a year. That’s less than a 20 ounce bottle of soda.
How does it work? The city is divided into four geographical zones in each zone is divided into three routes. Each route is run weekly (Mon-Thurs) by one of our grapple trucks operated by a CDL driver. Any pile that fits the criteria is picked up and transported to the our mulch yard on the city’s northside.
Why are some piles not collected? There are a few reasons why a pile doesn’t get collected. The first reason is that our drivers are human and they are going to from time to time miss a pile for one reason or another and in those instances, we make sure that it gets collected the next opportunity that we have. The second reason that a pile doesn’t get collected is because it might be considered a special collection which requires an additional fee. It could be because the pile is larger than an average weekly collection (about the size of what would fit in the back of a pick up truck or approximately 6’x6’x4’. Or it could be because the material itself is too large meaning a tree limb that’s more than 6” in diameter or more than 4’ in length.  Special collection fees vary, depending on the volume collected. It’s necessary to charge extra for special collections because the more volume we collect the more expensive it is to dispose of. The third reason that a pile might not be collected is because it might be at a location that does not have a yard trash account and therefore the pile won’t be collected until the special fee is paid. Any questions regarding a missed pile or a special fee can be answered by calling our office at 912-287-2955.
What happens to all the yard trash? On average we collect around 2400 cubic yards of yard trash each month.  Periodically throughout the year a contractor comes to the mulch yard and grinds all the yard trash into mulch, which is then transported to local papermills. The cost of mulch grinding is fairly expensive because it requires specialized heavy equipment that is large enough to handle the capacity of all the yard trash collected. 
Yard trash is funded solely through collection fees without the use of any property taxes. The division is comprised of a supervisor, four collection drivers, and four grapple trucks. Each of the grapple trucks cost almost a quarter of a million dollars to purchase and approximately $75-85,000 a year to operate which includes the drivers salary and benefits, fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
When you break it all down, it’s really quite a bargain for less than the price of a bottle of soda. 
