This varies from location to location, it's different for everybody and this might be a question your equipment dealer can answer should you not know anyone else to ask (I ask my dealer a few from time to time, he usually has an answer).
In my county there is both a residential AND a commercial dump and I can NOT take commercially-attained leaves to the residential dump because if they catch me, it's all over but the crying... Meanwhile the commercial dump charges a 40-dollar MINIMUM to get through the gate and it depends on how much stuff I got. Even if I COULD take it to the residential dump, it's an 8-dollar fee.
Then I see some guys here are able to take it to their local landfill all day long and it's no fee... Others (like me) use my own 1-acre lot but an acre isn't THAT big so I am none too keen on hauling in the first place:
- I ALWAYS do my utmost to see if I can leave the leaves somewhere on THEIR property such as in a back wooded area and I get pretty creative but yes there are some where this is not possible.
- The CITY where I live hauls leaves for free but the county does not, check and see if any of your localities do this, all I do in the City is push the leaves to the curb into a pile, it's great.
- Also we have a lady here has a leaf-truck and ALL she does is pick up piles for cash (Like what we do, she does nothing but haul leaves but it's not free lol)... Unfortunately I haven't found many customers who are willing to pay both of us but the stupid thing is it ends up costing JUST as much if *I* haul them... Go figure...
So, creativity counts
p.s.: Back in my first year I did *NO* hauling... I am still tempted to do this but then I always lose some regular grass customers this way and that bugs me...