What you need to know when recycling yard waste

Nov 9, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Feb 6

What do I do with this yard waste? We have the answer!

And the answers to your FAQ.

This one’s for all our fellow green-thumbs. You’ve spent your weekend cleaning up your garden and are left with a heap of waste. What do you do? Bag it all up and leave it on the curb? Think again!

At Rocky Top Resources, we can turn your trash into treasure.

More specifically, into mulch, soil amendments, and fresh topsoil. Now that’s a great way to recycle! Here’s how it works.

First things first. What can you bring us?

We take most natural yard waste, including:

Branches, logs, and stumps
Leaves, grass clippings, and sod
Garden clean-up materials (like old plants, flowers, and thatch)
Clean dirt, topsoil, and old mulch
Untreated wood like pallets and fencing (as long as they’re free of paint, stain, or chemicals)

What needs to be left at home?

To keep our recycled products clean and safe, we cannot accept:

Trash or household waste
Any wood that’s been stained, painted, or treated (this includes plywood, OSB, and pressboard)

What’s the price?

We charge by the cubic yard, with a small minimum fee. Not sure what a cubic yard looks like? Imagine a space that’s 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. Here’s an easy way to estimate your load:

Measure: Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (ft)
Tip: Convert inches to feet by dividing by 12 (e.g., 6 inches = 0.5 ft)
Divide that total by 27.
Voilà! You’ve got your cubic yards!

For reference, most pickup trucks, filled level to the bed, hold about 1–2 cubic yards.

How do I drop off my yard waste?

You can bring yard waste in bags, trucks, trailers, or even your car trunk. Tarps aren’t required for open truck beds, but because your safety and the safety of others on the road matters to us, we strongly recommend securing your load, so nothing flies out.

All materials must be dumped loose. Even compostable bags can’t go through our grinding equipment. Once you get here, we’ll ask you to empty your yard waste bags and take them back home. It’s a small step that makes a big difference in our recycling process!

How is the waste sorted?

When you arrive, you’ll notice we have different piles for branches, leaves, dirt, and more. That’s because each type of material gets recycled differently. Sometimes, items can be mixed in one load if they go to the same pile. Other times, they need to be kept separate.

If you’re doing a big cleanup and aren’t sure what goes where, just give us a call! We’re happy to help. Keeping things sorted ensures efficient recycling and helps avoid mixed-load fees.

Is there ever a reduced dumping rate?

Yes! For our non-commercial customers, we offer a reduced rate every Saturday on select yard waste (some exclusions apply). It’s a flat $10 per load, no matter the size.

As part of this Saturday special, we also collect optional donations for Care and Share, our local food bank. If you’re able to throw in an extra dollar or two, it goes a long way in supporting our community.

Come see us soon!

At Rocky Top Resources, we’re here to make yard waste recycling simple, affordable, and sustainable. So load up, come on down, and know that your branches, leaves, and clippings will get a second life as something beautiful and useful.