Yard Waste Removal Cost: What You’ll Pay in 2026

Most homeowners pay somewhere between $150 and $600 to have yard waste hauled away, and the final number depends mostly on how much space your pile takes up and how easy it is to reach. National guides put a standard yard cleanup at roughly $250 to $650, with leaf-only jobs at the low end and heavy brush at the high end. Here in the Denver metro, we price by trailer load, so you can match your pile to a published number before anyone shows up.

Below you’ll find national ranges, our own trailer-load prices, and what changes the quote for brush, tree limbs, green waste and storm debris.

TL;DR

• National guides put typical yard debris hauling at about $75 to $700, depending on whether it is a few bags, a pickup-size pile or a full dumpster-size load.
• Our Denver-area pricing is by trailer load: $120 minimum, $240 for a 1/4 trailer, $420 for a 1/2 trailer, $840 for a full trailer. Labor, loading, haul-away and cleanup are included.
• Volume and access drive the price. Heavy branches, steep driveways and long hauls to a disposal site push it up.
• Whole-tree removal and storm damage on a structure are tree-service jobs, priced separately from hauling away the debris.
• Send us a photo of the pile and we’ll give you a quote before you commit.

Table of Contents

• What yard waste removal costs nationally
• How we price yard debris in the Denver metro
• What changes the price of yard waste removal
• Tree limb removal cost
• Brush removal cost
• Green waste and yard debris: same job, different names
• Storm debris removal cost
• Hauling it yourself versus booking a crew
• A quote you can get in minutes
• Our perspective
• How to keep the quote low
• FAQ
• Sources

What yard waste removal costs nationally

Prices vary by company and region, but the published guides agree on the general shape. Treat these as ballparks, not quotes.

Small jobs are cheap per item. The same guides list bagged debris at $5 to $20 per 30-gallon bag, which is why a dozen bags of leaves can cost less than a trailer minimum, and why a big pile is better priced by volume than by the bag.

How we price yard debris in the Denver metro

We don’t charge by the bag, the hour or the pound. We charge by how much of the trailer your debris fills, and the price covers the crew, the loading, the haul-away and the cleanup afterward. Our published prices:

Extra help beyond the standard crew is $50 per hour per crew member. You can see the full list on our pricing page, and the details of what we haul are on our yard and landscaping debris page.

What a typical pile looks like in trailer fractions

These are rough visual guides, since every pile packs differently. Final pricing comes from the photo or an on-site look.

• A few bags of leaves and clippings, or a small pile of trimmings: usually fits the minimum or a 1/8 trailer ($120).
• One season of hedge trimmings and loose brush: often around a 1/4 to 3/8 trailer ($240 to $360).
• Branches from a pruned tree plus some brush: commonly a 1/2 trailer ($450).
• A full spring cleanup with mixed debris from a big lot: can reach 3/4 to a full trailer ($660 to $840).

Branches take up more room than their weight suggests, because they don’t pack tightly. Cutting limbs into shorter lengths before we arrive can help them stack more compactly, but you don’t need to prep anything. Our crew does the loading.

What changes the price of yard waste removal

Volume of material

Volume is the biggest driver. One guide notes that heavy brush or piles that need multiple trips can double the price compared with a light leaf cleanup. A trailer-load model keeps this simple: you pay for the space the debris takes, whatever it is made of.

Access and distance

A steep driveway, a narrow gate or a pile far from where the trailer can park means more labor. National guidance suggests difficult access can add $20 to $60 in labor and raise totals by 10 to 25 percent. If your debris is in a back corner behind a fence, mention it when you send the photo so the quote reflects it.

Disposal fees

Disposal is the part that surprises people most. Yard waste tipping fees at municipal facilities are reported at $20 to $75 per cubic yard, and the same source says to confirm whether hauling is included or billed separately. That is the question to ask any company. With our pricing, loading, haul-away and cleanup are part of the trailer-load price.

Material type

Clean green waste such as leaves, grass and small branches is generally cheaper to dispose of than mixed debris. One guide puts pure organic green waste at $15 to $30 per yard, with mixed loads containing soil, rocks or treated wood carrying extra disposal surcharges of $10 to $25 per yard. If your pile has fence boards, soil or old lumber mixed in, tell us. It helps us quote it accurately.

Timing

Rush scheduling and peak seasons can add cost in some markets. One guide lists rush fees of $25 to $150 and seasonal surcharges of $0 to $100 at peak leaf fall or spring cleanup. Booking a little ahead of the rush is a simple way to keep options open.

Tree limb removal cost

Two different jobs get lumped together here, and they are priced differently.

Cutting down or trimming the tree is tree-service work. A pricing guide for tree companies lists $400 to $1,200 for most residential tree removals. If a tree has come down on something, the range climbs. One calculator lists $300 to $1,500 for a fallen tree on open ground, and $1,500 to $8,000 or more for a tree on a roof.

Hauling away the limbs and logs once they are cut is what we do. Debris hauling alone is cited at $75 to $250 per load in the same tree-service guide, and with us a pile of limbs is priced by the trailer fraction it fills. Logs and stump pieces are dense, so tell us about them when you send a photo.

A practical way to handle it: have the arborist or tree crew cut and drop the tree, then book us to clear the pile. If the crew leaves the debris behind, you’ll have a clear, separate cost for the haul-away.

Brush removal cost

Brush is priced two very different ways depending on what you mean.

If you have a brush pile to haul off your property, it’s a volume question. One guide puts large brush pile removal at $150 to $700 per pile. With our trailer-load prices, a loose pile of hedge trimmings and brush often lands between a 1/4 and a 1/2 trailer ($240 to $420).

If you want standing brush cleared from acreage, that is land clearing, not hauling. Brush hogging is typically quoted per hour or per acre, at $100 to $300 per acre for standard conditions. Once the cut brush is stacked or raked into piles, we can haul it.

Green waste and yard debris: same job, different names

Green waste, yard waste and yard debris all describe the same stuff: leaves, grass clippings, hedge trimmings, small branches, sod and garden cleanout. Landscaping debris extends this to things like old timbers, pavers or soil from a project. We handle both on our yard and landscaping debris service. If your project involves demolition-type material, such as a removed deck or fence, our construction debris removal page explains how that is handled.

Storm debris removal cost

After a hailstorm, windstorm or heavy snow, demand for cleanup spikes and prices follow. One source reports post-storm cleanup running $700 to $3,000 or more for large jobs, and another says prices can rise 20 to 50 percent after a major storm because of demand and overtime labor. A typical haul of downed limbs and scattered branches is reported at $300 to $800 in that same guide.

Two things help after a storm:

1. Photograph everything before you clean up if you plan to file a homeowners insurance claim. Ask your insurer what they need.
2. Check whether your city runs special storm-debris collection. Many do after declared weather events, according to the NearMeTips guide. Your city or county public works page will have the current rules.

If a limb is on your roof or a power line, that is a job for a licensed tree service or your utility, not a hauling crew. Stay away from downed lines and call the utility.

Hauling it yourself versus booking a crew

Some people compare paid removal with taking the material to a disposal site. Private yard waste disposal services are commonly cited at $15 to $25 per cubic yard, often $150 to $300 per property, and a single load can carry a $70 to $80 minimum. Add your own truck, loading time, trips and cleanup, and the comparison depends on how much your weekend is worth.

When the pile is big, heavy, spread across the property or full of awkward limbs, a crew with a trailer is usually the faster route. That is the job we built our pricing around: one number covers the labor, the loading, the haul and the sweep-up.

A quote you can get in minutes

We are a family-owned crew based in Parker, serving the Denver metro, including Douglas County, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Franktown and Lone Tree. We aren’t a franchise or a call center. You send a photo of the pile, and we come back with a quote based on how much of the trailer it will fill.

See our trailer-load pricing, or send us photos of your yard debris through our site to get your quote. If you’re in Highlands Ranch, our local page for yard and landscaping debris in Highlands Ranch has the details for your area.

Our perspective

Most yard waste quotes go wrong at the same point: nobody agrees on what is included. A low number that leaves out loading, disposal or cleanup is not a low number.

That is why we price by the trailer. You can look at your pile, compare it with a 1/4, 1/2 or full trailer, and know roughly what the job costs before we arrive. Our formula is designed so the loading, haul-away and cleanup are part of that price, and we treat your property with care while we work.

The other thing we’d tell any homeowner: send a photo. A single picture tells us about the pile, the access and whether there are logs or mixed material in it. It saves you a phone call and saves us a guess.

Ben

How to keep the quote low

• Gather debris in one spot near the driveway or curb. Less carrying means less labor.
• Separate clean green waste from other materials where you can, and tell us what is in the pile.
• Combine jobs. If you have yard debris and an old appliance or furniture, one trip is more efficient than two. Our what we take page lists the other items we haul.
• Share access details such as gate width, slope and where the trailer can park.
• Book ahead of peak seasons, such as spring cleanup and fall leaf season, when you can.

FAQ

How much does yard waste removal cost?

National guides put a standard yard cleanup at about $250 to $650, with small leaf jobs under that and heavy brush above it. With us, pricing starts at a $120 minimum and goes up by trailer fraction to $840 for a full trailer.

Is tree limb removal priced differently from yard debris removal?

Yes. Cutting the tree is tree-service work, often priced by the tree and the difficulty. Hauling the limbs away afterward is priced by volume. With us, a limb pile is quoted by the fraction of the trailer it fills.

What is the cheapest way to get rid of yard waste?

For small amounts, bagging it and checking your local collection options costs the least. For a larger pile, a trailer-load service saves loading, trips and disposal. Send us a photo and we’ll tell you which size fits.

Does the price include disposal and cleanup?

Yes. Our trailer-load prices include labor, loading, haul-away and cleanup. Extra crew labor beyond that is $50 per hour per crew member, and some items, such as appliances with refrigerant, carry their own listed fees.

Can you remove storm debris?

Yes, we can haul cut limbs and scattered debris once it is on the ground and safe to reach. Trees on roofs, structures or power lines need a licensed tree service or utility first.

Sources

• Yard Debris Removal Cost: Price Guide 2026
• Yard Waste Hauling Cost and Price Guide
• Yard Waste Removal Cost in 2026
• Yard Debris Removal Cost: Prices, Drivers, and Budget Ranges
• Yard Cleanup Cost Calculator 2026
• Tree service pricing guide
• Fallen Tree Removal Cost: 2026 Price Calculator
• How Much Does Brush Hogging Cost
• Methods for Disposing of Yard Waste

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