Like many people, we've been paying for a yard waste bin. We live in Minnesota and that means grass clippings, gardening, and leaf cleanup. All that waste has to go somewhere and the best option is to pay to have it picked up each week. Or is it?
My husband and I have really been thinking about what we spend our money on and the yard waste bin came up. Each spring we pay a lump payment for a season of weekly yard waste pick up. Years ago when we signed up, our garbage company supplied us with a 64-gallon bin that is for grass clippings, leaves, plants, and sticks. If you fill the 64-gallon bin, they will haul away unlimited paper yard waste bags. For this service, we pay between $140 to $170 each year. If you average the amount and add in the cost of paper yard waste bags, you are looking at an estimated total of $175 per season, times six seasons, equals $1,050. Think about that for a moment. Is it really worth $1,050 to have someone haul away grass clippings and leaves? The funniest part is that when my husband built our raised garden beds, we had to buy dirt.
I'm oversimplifying it in my mind, but how am I paying for yard waste to be picked up and also paying again when I buy it back in a dirt and compost mixture? I realize there really isn't a way around having to pay for dirt. Have a truck deliver it, by the way, skip the plastic bags of dirt.
So what to do with the yard waste? Pick up the sticks and burn them when you have a bonfire. Compost the plants and trimmings from your garden. It's good for your lawn when you mulch the glass and leaves. My husband has a mulch kit on his riding mower for this purpose. If you prefer to bag your grass clippings and/or leaves, build or buy a wire leaf bin and let them rot before adding it back into your garden.
DIY Wire Leaf Bin
Composting for a New Generation
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