Yard Waste & Brush Removal in Anderson, IN
Yard waste in Anderson has a short official season. The city collects it from October 1 through December 15, in paper bags and tied bundles, the day after trash day. Brush from a spring storm, a summer pruning job or an overgrown fence line arrives on its own schedule, and Indiana law keeps most of it out of landfills, so it cannot simply go out with the trash. That leaves the compost drop-off, a rented chipper or a hauler. A yard cleanup that turns up old sheds or play sets is covered on the shed and hot tub removal page.
Priced by truckload: most loads about $150 - $350; a full truck about $400 - $800 · full pricing guide
The city's Waste Services page sets out the rules for its fall collection. Yard waste, meaning leaves, grass clippings, weeds, bushes and tree branches, must be placed in biodegradable paper bags, and it is picked up the day after trash day from October 1 through December 15. Tree limbs are accepted if cut, bundled and tied, with each bundle made of branches no more than 3 inches in diameter and 4 feet long and weighing no more than 35 pounds. Bags or cans that mix trash with yard waste are not accepted, and the compost site may reject loads that contain trash.
Outside that window, or for more than bundles can handle, the city lists the Anderson Yard and Garden Recycling Center as a drop-off option. It does not require limbs to be bundled, does not accept dirt or plastic bags, charges a nominal fee for woody debris and takes leaves and grass at no charge. The East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's Madison County Recycling Center also accepts yard waste, with fees that may apply.
State law explains why brush cannot ride along with the household trash. Indiana Code 13-20-9 bans depositing vegetative matter from landscaping and land clearing in a solid waste landfill, including leaves, brush and woody material such as twigs, branches and stumps over 3 feet long. Grass and woody pieces under 3 feet that are bagged, bundled or contained are exceptions, and a county executive may waive the ban for up to 90 days in an emergency. Indiana also generally prohibits open burning outside exempt activities, and IDEM recommends mulching, composting or chipping instead.
Brush is bulky rather than heavy, so a hauler prices it like any other load, by how much of the truck it fills. HomeGuide's 2026 figures put most loads at $150 to $350, with a full truck at $400 to $450, while Angi's full-truck range reaches $600 to $800. A large storm cleanup may call for a chipper instead of a truck, since chipped brush takes a fraction of the space. Stumps and large logs are a separate job, usually for a tree service.
Free quote
When Yard Waste Needs More Than the Curb
The city's fall program handles bagged leaves and small bundles. These jobs usually need something else:
- Storm-damaged limbs too large to bundle
- Spring and summer pruning outside the October to December season
- An overgrown fence line or a lot cleared of brush
- Piles of old branches that have sat for a season or more
- Landscaping removal with shrubs and roots
- Brush mixed with fencing, lumber or other debris
Clearing old structures too? See shed and hot tub removal.
Getting brush ready for the curb
Brush that meets the city's rules gets picked up; brush that does not stays put. Branches should be cut to no more than 4 feet, bundled and tied, with each bundle no heavier than 35 pounds and each branch no thicker than 3 inches. Leaves, clippings and weeds go in biodegradable paper bags, which the city says are available at City Hall and at hardware and grocery stores.
Plastic bags and mixed trash are not accepted, and the compost site can reject loads with trash in them. Setting everything out the night of trash day gives the crew every chance to collect it the following day.
Storm cleanup in the right order
Storms that bring down limbs often bring down other things too. Before any cleanup, lines touching branches should be left to the utility, and limbs still hanging in a tree left to a tree service with the right equipment.
Once the ground debris is safe to handle, sorting it saves money: clean brush can go to a compost site, while shingles, gutters, siding and fencing are building debris with a different destination. A hauler can take both in one visit if they are kept separate, and photographs of the damage before cleanup help with any insurance claim.
Why brush stays out of the landfill
Indiana's yard waste rule reflects a simple idea: leaves and branches are a resource, not trash. Composted or chipped, they become mulch and soil, and keeping them out of landfills saves space for material that has nowhere else to go.
The statute bans vegetative matter from landscaping and land clearing, including brush and woody pieces over 3 feet, while allowing small bagged or bundled amounts. For a homeowner, the practical upshot is that a hauler collecting brush should be taking it to a composting or mulching site, which is also where the city's own fall collection goes.
Curbside, Drop-Off or a Hauler
Yard waste in Anderson can go out by one of three routes:
City curbside season
October 1 through December 15, the day after trash day, in paper bags and bundles within the city's size limits. It suits fall leaves and routine trimming.
Yard and Garden Recycling Center
The city's listed drop-off takes limbs unbundled, charges a small fee for woody debris and nothing for leaves and grass. It suits owners with a truck or trailer.
Hauler or chipper
A crew loads everything, including large limbs and mixed debris, priced by truck share. For big storm cleanups, chipping on site can cut the volume sharply.
Yard Waste & Brush Removal FAQs
When does Anderson collect yard waste?
From October 1 through December 15, according to the city's Waste Services page. Yard waste is picked up the day after the regular trash day, and pickup times vary, so the city suggests setting it out the night of trash day. It must be in biodegradable paper bags, with branches cut, bundled and tied. Outside that season, the Anderson Yard and Garden Recycling Center is the city's listed drop-off option.
How big can a brush bundle be for city pickup?
The city's rule is no more than 3 inches in diameter for each branch, no more than 4 feet in length, and no more than 35 pounds per bundle, tied securely. Bushes and branches larger than that do not qualify for curbside collection and need to be cut down to size, taken to the Yard and Garden Recycling Center, which does not require bundling, or hauled away.
Can brush be burned in Anderson?
Indiana generally prohibits open burning, with limited exemptions, and IDEM recommends mulching, composting or chipping yard waste instead. Anyone considering a burn pile should check the state's exemptions and any local rules first, since burning inside a city is often restricted further. For most Anderson households, the compost drop-off, the fall curbside season or a hauler is the simpler and safer route.
What does a storm debris cleanup involve?
After a storm, the work usually starts with safety: branches caught in wires are left to the utility, and hanging limbs are left to a tree service. What is on the ground is then cut to manageable lengths, sorted from any building debris such as shingles or siding, and either chipped on site or loaded and hauled to a compost facility. Brush over 3 feet long cannot go to a landfill in Indiana.
Related Services in Anderson
Free Yard Waste & Brush Removal Quote — Anderson
Free quote