You may need a conditional use permit to stockpile yardwaste. If there's no other composting site around then you could charge 10 to 20 bucks a yard for disposal. I'd consider running yard debris through a tub grinder to speed up composting. If you accept tree debrisyou can make your own mulch with a tub grinder-maybe look for someone that does mobile tub grinding. A lot of tree debris around here gets ground up and brought to coal fired power plants where they burn it with coal. I think it reduces emmisions.

 

You probably need to talk to whatever department at your county government would regulate such issues. If you are taking only clean green waste and composting it, I suspect that would be deemed a legitimate ag activity. Potential odors from decomposing vegetation may be an issue for you and/or neighbors, but there may be right to farm laws that would protect you against claims of nuisance from odors.

If you would be taking only lawn clippings those would not break down as well as it would if wood chips were mixed in.

Consider risks of accepting diseased trees and whether that might spread plant diseases to you or people who bought compost from you. Also consider other pests that might be spread as a result.

What kind of local market would there be for the composted green waste? Is anyone else selling compost, if so what do they charge, is there unmet demand? What equipment would you need to buy or rent to speed the break down the material? What does the "city dump" charge to accept green waste? If you could charge 1/2 to 2/3 as much, how much income might you see? Would your existing insurance cover these activities?

 

Pretty good scam.
Landscapers pay you to give you the materials you will use to make other materials that they will again pay you for.
BRILLIANT!

We have a place in Pittsburgh (maybe other locations) that takes organic yard debris. They charge by volume - not by weight.
A trailer, or truck bed full of material is a set price.
If you mix the type of debris, the price increases.
They have piles to dump leaves, or grass, or tree/brush cuttings, etc

I think the material is trucked off site to be processed into mulch/etc, then brought back to sell. (bulk)

I don't have a price list handy, but I think it was about $8-$9 to dump my 5x8 trailer load of brush.
Different pricing for different debris.
I'm glad I mulch and rarely need to go there to dump grass. It never fails that after I wash my truck, I need to go to that dusty/muddy/smelly place. LOL
They get stuff from the zoo too, so it smells like elephant poop.
:laugh:

 

I think this is heavily dependent on your location, our local compost yard charges $3 per yard for lawn debris and it’s free to drop off tree debris. The other place takes only trees for free.

 

There can be some environmental items, grass clippings are high in nitrogen for obvious reasons. Some states or agency’s may require permits and testing.

 

Interesting conversation. I recently started to add my lawn clipping to the manure I get from neighbors. I have only had the manure before. I turn it for a year then sell as dirt. Will the grass and leaves be broke down enough to be soil next year?

 

Depends on a number of factors. For you to sell it as clean dirt - no. 2-3 years.
For you to sell it as a garden compost mix, probably good enough if you stop 8 months prior.

 

Here's a good place to start:

https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/CompostManufacturer

 

I have talked to two guys this week that are looking for a place to dump their pro lawn clippings. I own ag property and have the space and zoning to allow something like this but I need to further understand the ins/outs of this. It would not seem like a big deal to dump them about anywhere unless there is some odor concern? Is having a dumpsite really an issue? Can anyone speak to how they get rid of theirs and what those fees might look like? I don't mind getting in this but if it is only $20/week, it probably won't be worth the hassles. The guys I have talked to said the are only authorized to dump at the "city dump" and pay by the ton.

And if we step into this, I would probably be open to other bio refuse. I certainly do not want a "dump" on my place, but I can certainly amend these piles and create topsoil. I am also considering tree products from tree companies and I can further mulch that stuff up.

This has become a real issue in my area. There was a sewer plant in the valley that used to take yard waste, and they mixed it with solid waste to make yard compost that they sold. However, last year they announced that they were closing the compost yard. It was because two adjoining cities said they were suing them to stop due to the smell. I know there are dairy farms that sell compost. It is a bit smelly, but one told me he makes more money from that than from the dairy... I find that doubtful. And since they were there first, it is hard to sue them for nuisance smell. Typically what happens is the land just becomes too valuable and the farms sell out to the developers and move further out.

Anyway, it would certainly be a way to make your own organic fertilizer for your ag land. Organic produce and fruit certainly sell at a premium. Do you need a permit to make your own fertilizer? I kind of doubt that. Maybe if you turn it into another business, and sell it, you would have to get some sort of permit or license. It seems a much better option than filling our landfills with the stuff.

 

Definitely need to check your State and local regulations. In our State of CT and many others every aspect of the dumping, piling, processing, and storing of yard waste is regulated. There is regulation coming along for what the state is calling ‘notifiers’. That will apply to the contractors or small places that make and allow piles of yard waste. No heavy restrictions for them now, but once you start accepting someone else’s stuff you are in a different, more regulated category. Plus, if you are in an agricultural location, does your state restrict manure piles? This could open doors to more problems than a few yards of compost is worth. Also, what is the land worth that you will dedicate to this? Can something more productive be done with it?

We run a registered site on industrial land and I’m sure many folks think they are doing me a favor and over paying to dump brush and logs. It’s just another business operation and we try to be as fair as possible. Try getting rid of the ground up mulch, especially after a few hurricanes. There is so much available, you almost have to pay to dispose of it before it catches on fire. Yes we sell plenty of mulch and work to colorize it, but think about what is dumped every day. If it has a lot of leafy debris or dirt, it can’t be easily colorized. Needs to be screened first to make a good product.

Grass and leaves don’t catch on fire, but that is a different permit if you want to windrow and process. Takes a lot of space and storm water runoff can be an issue. Soil and fill not as much of a problem, but you can’t just add fresh leaves and grass to soil piles. As others have mentioned, could take about a year or so to break down.

To the OP, you will have a dump the minute you allow others to have access and unload. You will need equipment and time to manage piles and then hopefully if you manage it well, you might be able to sell some recycled products. My thoughts are to keep the incoming and processing operations as one equation and the selling separate. That is don’t expect the sales to justify and pay for the dumping. Make each department stand alone as a profit center or you will also start losing money without knowing it. A lot goes into managing piles and people (customers). A few friends making a small pile, probably ok. More than that, then really think about it.