Fall Garden Cleanup: Getting Rid of Yard Waste
After a hot summer of gardening, it’s tempting to pile up your spent plants and forget about them! But how you dispose of plant waste—especially from diseased plants or invasive weeds—can affect your garden’s future health. Taking time to dispose of garden material responsibly will ensure a welcome environment for next year’s plants.
Composting isn’t always the answer
If you have a compost pile or tumbler, you may be tempted to dump your plant waste there. However, few home compost systems get hot enough to kill plant pathogens or the seeds and roots of invasives, which could survive and spread when the compost is eventually applied.
Buncombe County residents have access to composting through the Food Scraps Drop-Off program, which can include small trimmings (under two feet long) from edible or house plants. Plant trimmings should not include diseased or invasive material. The program also accepts some items, such as meat and cooked food, not usually appropriate for home composting systems (see graphic for details). You can take your scraps to one of seven drop-off points, including the Buncombe County Landfill.
Buncombe County yard waste disposal options depend on where you live.
Unincorporated Buncombe County. The trash and recycling program in unincorporated Buncombe County (with FCC Environmental) does not include brush pickup. Residents can bring yard waste—including diseased and invasive plant material—to Buncombe County Landfill for disposal; both loose material and paper leaf bags are accepted (details below).
According to Cassandra Lohmeyer, Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator, landfill yard waste “is ground into mulch, and the mulch piles get pretty hot and dry,” presumably sufficient to kill pathogens. This mulch—not intended for use in edible gardens—is sold to residents for $10 a scoop.
City of Asheville. Asheville residents have access to curbside brush collection, which can include “contained” woody trimmings and bagged leaves, but not grass clippings. According to Waste Reduction Program Manager Ashley Lavender, flexible vegetative materials, such as whole plants or vines, are not accepted, even if placed in bags or reusable bins. City residents can also bring spent garden plants—healthy or unhealthy—to the Buncombe County Landfill.
Incorporated Buncombe County: Woodfin, Weaverville, Montreat, Black Mountain, and Biltmore Forest. Each township has its own guidelines about plant waste collection. For example, in Woodfin, all types of yard waste are collected, and can be stacked in loose piles or bagged. Because the material is taken to the Buncombe County Landfill, there are no restrictions with regard to diseased or invasive plants. Links to township information about brush and yard waste are provided below.
Home disposal
How can gardeners dispose of diseased or invasive plants at home?
- Bagging plants (solarization): Seal your plant waste in heavy black or clear plastic bags and put them in a location that receives full sun for several weeks. The intense heat will destroy any pathogens or seeds on the plant material.
- Drying plants: For larger amounts of material, spread a tarp or sheet of heavy plastic on the ground and pile your plant waste on top. Cover the pile with an additional tarp or plastic sheet to keep materials from blowing or spreading. Keep it in the sun for several weeks until it is fully dry.
- Burning: Please be aware that in Buncombe County, brush burning is only allowed where public trash pickup is not provided and often restricted during periods of drought. Burning is not an appropriate method for disposing of invasive plants because the hot air created by fire can serve to disperse some weed seeds.
The key to disposing of your plant waste is knowing what’s safe and what could create problems next year. Careful fall cleanup can pay off in protecting your garden from future pests and plant diseases.
Article written by Melissa Himelein, Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer
For more information:
Buncombe County Landfill (81 Panther Branch Road, Alexander): Hours M-F, 8 am-4:30 pm
- Loose yard waste: $30/ton
- Paper leaf bags: 2 for $1
- Food scraps drop-off: Free, but register in advance here
City of Asheville Brush Collection: Brush is collected bi-weekly. Find your schedule here.
Incorporated Buncombe County
- Biltmore Forest, Brush and Leaf Collection
- Black Mountain, Sanitation Services (scroll down page to “Brush/Yard Waste”)
- Montreat, Sanitation Department (scroll down page to “Brush and Leaf Collection”)
- Weaverville, Sanitation Division
- Woodfin, Environmental Services
Methods for Disposing Non-Native Invasive Plants