Yard Waste Removal in Salem, Oregon

Spring cleanup, fall leaf drop, summer storm damage, or a backyard renovation can all leave you with more yard waste than your curbside cart can handle. If you live in Salem, Oregon and need to move a serious volume of brush, branches, leaves, sod, or landscape debris, here is everything you need to know about your options.

What Counts as Yard Waste?

Yard waste typically includes grass clippings, leaves, small twigs and branches, garden plants and weeds, sod and small amounts of soil, hedge trimmings, fallen tree limbs, and pine needles. Larger items like full tree trunks, stumps, and root balls are usually handled separately because they require different equipment and disposal pathways.

Option 1: Curbside Yard Debris Cart

Republic Services provides a yard debris cart to most Salem residential customers, picked up on a regular schedule. This is the cheapest option for ongoing small volumes, but the cart only holds so much, branches must be cut to fit, and it doesn’t work for one-time large cleanups.

Option 2: Marion County Compost Drop-Off

Marion County operates yard debris drop-off at several facilities including the Brown’s Island Demolition Landfill and Salem-area compost sites. Per-load fees apply based on weight, and you need a vehicle that can haul the volume — a pickup truck at minimum, ideally with a trailer for larger loads.

Option 3: Burn Pile (Restricted)

Outdoor burning is heavily restricted in Salem and surrounding incorporated cities, and even rural Marion County has burn-ban dates throughout the year. Always check current regulations and call your local fire authority before lighting anything. Burning is rarely the easiest option in 2026.

Option 4: Professional Yard Waste Hauling

For one-time large cleanups, storm damage, or yard renovations that generate more debris than you want to handle, hiring a professional hauler like EZ Junk & Hauling LLC is the easiest path. We arrive with a dump truck sized to the job, our crew handles the loading, and we route the debris to the appropriate composting or processing facility. You don’t need to own a truck, you don’t need to make multiple trips, and you don’t need to figure out which facility takes what.

Common Yard Waste Removal Scenarios

Most of our yard waste calls fall into a few categories. After a windstorm, homeowners often need fallen branches and broken limbs hauled away within a day or two. After a renovation, landscapers leave behind piles of sod, old plants, and removed shrubs. After a long-deferred cleanup, accumulated debris from a year or more of neglect needs to be cleared all at once. Each of these is a single-visit job for a hauling crew.

What About Tree Stumps and Big Logs?

Stumps and large logs are technically not standard yard waste because they require specialized handling. We can take cut logs and rounds (typically up to 2-foot diameter sections that two people can lift) as part of a regular hauling job. Full standing trees that need to come down should go to a tree service first; we can then haul the resulting debris.

Pricing for Yard Waste Removal

Yard waste hauling is typically priced by volume — how much of our truck the load fills. We provide a flat quote up front based on a quick walkthrough or photos you send us, and that price is locked in regardless of how long the loading takes. Most residential yard cleanups fall in a predictable range, and we can usually quote over the phone with a few details about the scope.

Schedule Your Yard Waste Pickup

If you are in Salem, Keizer, West Salem, South Salem, Woodburn, Silverton, Stayton, Dallas, or the surrounding Mid-Willamette Valley, EZ Junk & Hauling LLC can have your yard cleared in a single visit. We work seven days a week, often offer same-day service, and route everything responsibly to compost facilities whenever possible. Call (971) 226-7435 or request a free estimate online to get started.