The City of Mobile's rules
Household trash pickup takes yard debris within limits. Limbs over 12 inches in diameter or over 6 feet long are not collected. Bagged leaves, plants and clippings at the curb can't exceed 2 cubic yards, which the City describes as 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet or 15 bags; residential piles over that are removed for a fee that depends on pile size, and you can call 208-5311 for an estimate. Three things draw a $532 fine each: blowing or cutting grass, leaves or clippings into streets, gutters or storm drains (that includes your landscaper); setting out a trash pile more than 48 hours before the scheduled pickup day; and placing trash in a median or on a vacant lot. Materials from commercial projects, evictions and businesses aren't collected at all. And the rule that matters most when you hire a tree service: a resident who hires a contractor is not responsible for the debris, the contractor must collect it and take it to the landfill. We do.
The landfills
| Facility | Address | Phone | Hours | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chastang Landfill | 17045 Highway 43, Mt. Vernon 36560 | 251-829-4006 | Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–4 p.m., closed weekends | Household garbage, trash, demolition debris; credit cards only, no cash or checks |
| Dirt, Inc. | 8081 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile 36695 | 251-633-7474 | Mon–Sat 7 a.m.–5 p.m. (City listing) | Trash and demolition debris only |
| H & S Land, Inc. | 8700 Howells Ferry Road, Semmes 36575 | 251-645-9702 | Mon–Fri 7–5, Sat 7–3 | Trash and demolition debris only |
| Lott Road Landfill | 5400 Dossett Road, Eight Mile 36613 | 251-456-5321 | Mon–Fri 7–5 (Sat 7–12 per NBC 15's 2017 list) | Trash and demolition debris only |
| Turkey Trott Landfill | 2328 Mannish Ryan Road, Citronelle 36522 | 251-866-7787 | Mon–Fri 7–4:30 (2017 list) | Confirm current rules |
| EcoSouth Services of Mobile | 12950-A Highway 43 North, Axis 36505 | 251-675-9800 | Mon–Fri 7–4:30 (2017 list) | Confirm current rules |
The first four are the City of Mobile's published list; the last two were on NBC 15's list after Hurricane Nate. Hours and rates change, so call before you haul a load yourself. On the Eastern Shore, Daphne, Fairhope and Spanish Fort debris goes to Baldwin County's facilities.
After a hurricane
After a declared disaster the City and County may activate a separate storm-debris program with its own curbside rules, usually requiring vegetation to be piled separately from construction debris and kept clear of lines, hydrants and mailboxes. They don't always: after Nate in October 2017, Mobile County didn't have enough debris to activate a program and told residents not to put debris in the county right-of-way, pointing them to the landfills instead. Until a program is announced, the ordinary rules and fines apply. The safest assumption is that anything a tree service cuts, the tree service hauls, and that's how we work.
Burning
Don't, inside the city. Open burning of yard debris in a Mobile neighborhood full of pine straw is a bad idea and generally not allowed; outside the city, burning requires an Alabama Forestry Commission permit and conditions that are rarely right in a wet October. Chipping is faster, and the chips are useful mulch.
Wood you shouldn't move
Redbay, swamp bay and sassafras killed by laurel wilt carry the beetle that spreads it. The Alabama Forestry Commission's guidance is to cut the tree, chip the wood into pieces of a square inch or smaller, burn it on site or leave it under a tarp, grind the stump to soil level, and never move infested wood long distances. We follow it; those chips stay on your lot. Beetle-killed pine should go the other way, off the property and away from your other pines.
What we haul and what we leave
By default: limbs chipped on site or hauled, logs hauled to the landfill or stacked as firewood rounds if you ask, stump chips hauled or left as mulch, and the lawn raked. Keeping the wood or the chips takes a little off the haul-off line. Palm fronds don't chip and always get hauled.
Common questions
Will the City pick up the limbs from my tree work?
Not if a contractor did it; the contractor is responsible for the debris. And not if the limbs are over 12 inches across or 6 feet long, or the pile is over 2 cubic yards. We haul everything we cut.
How much does a landfill charge for tree debris?
The City's list doesn't publish rates and they change; call the facility. Chastang takes credit cards only. For most homeowners it's cheaper and easier to have the tree service haul it.
Can I set the pile out early?
No. A pile set out more than 48 hours before pickup day can draw a $532 fine.
What about after a hurricane?
Watch for a City or County storm-debris announcement with its own rules. Until then the ordinary limits apply. Everything we cut, we haul.
Can I burn it?
Not in the city. Outside the city it needs a Forestry Commission permit and safe conditions. Chip it instead.
Do you leave firewood?
If you want it. We buck the trunk into rounds and stack them, which takes a little off the price. Pine is fire-pit wood, oak and pecan are proper firewood. Laurel-wilt wood stays chipped on site.
Related: Storm cleanup · Stump grinding · Hurricane guide · Tree health · Land clearing