What counts as green waste
- Garden clippings, grass cuttings, and leaves.
- Branches, twigs, and tree loppings.
- Stumps and roots (often harder to fit than you'd expect).
- Turf and sod from lawn removal.
- Dead shrubs and plants.
- Green waste mixed with soil (though clean green is better for recycling).
Clean green waste (no soil, no plastic, no wood treatments) can be composted or mulched. Mixed or contaminated green waste may cost more to process.
Green waste weight and volume
Fresh green waste weighs roughly 0.4–0.8 tonnes per cubic metre depending on moisture and packing. Dry, compressed branches are lighter; freshly cut grass and leaves are heavier due to moisture.
This means green waste is rarely a weight problem — a full 15m³ bin of branches and clippings might only weigh 6–8 tonnes, well under the 10-tonne limit. You're more likely to fill by volume than weight.
| Green Waste Type | Approx. Density (t/m³) |
|---|---|
| Dry branches, twigs | ~0.3–0.4 |
| Grass and leaves | ~0.5–0.7 |
| Mixed garden waste | ~0.4–0.6 |
| Compacted limbs and logs | ~0.5–0.8 |
Choosing the right bin size for garden work
Small garden tidy-ups — seasonal leaf and branch cleanup, light pruning — often fit in a 9m³ or 12m³ bin.
Medium jobs — full garden cleanup, tree lopping, lawn removal — usually need a 15m³ bin.
Large projects — full landscape overhaul, tree removal, or multiple large trees — may need a 20m³ or larger bin.
Tree stumps are deceptively bulky. If you're removing large stumps, add 2–3 extra cubic metres to your estimate.
Compacting and loading green waste
Break branches into smaller lengths — 1–2 metres — and layer them to pack more into the bin. Leaves and grass should be added in layers with heavier materials; don't leave large air pockets.
A bobcat or small excavator can help compact the waste by walking over it, but avoid burying small items that might create a plug. Don't pile waste above the bin rim — it'll spill during collection.
Clean green loads and recycling
Recycling facilities prefer clean green waste — no soil, no plastic, no treated timber. If your load is entirely branches, leaves, and clippings from a garden, it's clean. If you've dug out stumps with soil attached or mixed in fallen fences, it's mixed.
Clean green loads often go to compost or mulch facilities at no extra cost. Mixed loads may be landfilled, which costs more. Whenever possible, separate clean green waste into a dedicated bin.