Asheville’s Brush Collection is Delayed: You’ve Still Got Options

By Finn Digman, Waste Reduction Education Coordinator for Asheville Greenworks
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If you’re staying at home full-time, now is the perfect time to clean up the yard. You might be cutting back invasive species, raking leaves, or pruning your fruit trees. No matter what, yard work tends to produce some unwieldy waste.  The City of Asheville collects about 8,000 tons of brush annually within city limits. But in order to ensure the safety of their staff and slow the spread of COVID-19, brush collection is on a delayed schedule for the duration of the pandemic. 

Trash and recycling collection are occurring as scheduled. So, why is brush collection postponed? The City wants to protect the collection staff from potential virus exposure for their health and to ensure the residents of Asheville receive the services they need to keep life moving.

Jes Foster, the Solid Waste Manager for the City of Asheville explains, “Brush collection trucks require 2 or 3 people to be in close quarters in the cab of a truck all day. We are modifying operations and pulling in additional staff and resources in order to perform some level of brush collection while maintaining social distancing recommendations.” 

Modifications starting the week of April 13th include:

• Claw trucks will continue running & collecting large brush piles. These trucks have been out collecting large brush piles for the duration of the pandemic and won’t stop now.
• The Sanitation Division will start running rear packer collection for small brush and bagged leaves. Please drive with care around these collection trucks; their operations will be modified from usual procedures to maintain social distancing.
• Normal brush route collection will not occur on a regular schedule. The City’s Sanitation Division will first collect brush from all locations along the Brush Collection Week A route, then move to the Brush Collection Week B route.  Follow this link to find your route.
• Remember: The City highly encourages the use of paper bags or reusable containers labeled ‘brush’ for leaves and small brush.  Paper bags or containers make collection faster, cleaner, and more efficient.
• Trash collection and other essential City services will continue to take priority over brush collection. The pace of brush collection will depend on the availability of staff and resources.

As our world adjusts to protect public health, the City of Asheville knows trash collection must take priority over brush collection. Additionally, the majority of Asheville’s trash collection is done with an automated claw truck.  This is the safest method of collection; there is only one driver per truck, and, ideally, the driver doesn’t leave the vehicle to move cans by hand (Learn more about how you can help protect sanitation workers in our next post, Sanitation and COVID-19: What You Can Do To Help).

While brush collection services are running on a delayed schedule, the City of Asheville respectfully asks residents to ensure that any containers, bags, or piles are not obstructing sidewalks or traffic.  

You may be thinking, “What now?”
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If you’ve got yard waste and don’t want to wait for pick up, look no further! We’ve compiled an easy list of ways to use or dispose of your yard waste this spring.

Leaves

• If you have a lawnmower, run over leaves on the lawn and leave the scraps in place to create a rich fertilizer. 
• If mowing isn’t feasible, you can leave full leaves in place. This creates great habitat for native insect species but may smother your grass. 
• Rake your leaves into a pile and walk away. This will create a natural compost pile over the course of the year. By next spring, you’ll have a humus-rich heap to add to your soil.
• You can also rake your leaves up and use them directly as mulch for garden beds. Be advised, however, you’re likely to end up with a few surprise seeds rooting in your garden. 
• If you’d like to know more about composting in your yard, tune in for our upcoming video series, Connecting with Community, where we’ll demonstrate common backyard composting techniques.
• Remember: You cannot burn loose leaves per city fire ordinance. They can be picked up by the wind and land on roofs or in treetops. 

Woody debris

• Build something cool! Here are a few ideas: ​​

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Above: Stick Forts! Follow this link to see some easy fort building options. Right: Make a fence or lattice for your garden. www.lovelygreens.com has a page dedicated to garden projects using repurposed sticks and twigs

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• Pile up your woody debris and cover with leaves for an easy take on Hugelkultur. Once this pile has aged a bit, it will hold moisture, build soil fertility, and maximize surface area. Click this link to learn more about Hugelkultur.
• Remember: Open burning is not allowed in the City of Asheville without a permit from the Western NC Regional Air Quality Agency. Visit the City’s fire marshal website for more information on open burning within City limits.  
• It’s a good idea to pursue options other than burning your waste. Burning waste is hazardous, and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. (Refer to the NC Fire Code Section 307.3.2 and 307.4 for regulatory information about small, recreational fires)

Invasive Non-native Species

• Remember: Invasive Non-native species are trash. Bag them tightly and throw them in your landfill cart.
• English Ivy, Chinese Privet, Kudzu, Japanese Knotweed, and other invasive species should never be composted, mulched, or used in fences or crafts. 
• Invasive species spread quickly and are one of the number one causes of global biodiversity loss. Even small segments of these plants can colonize entire yards, riverbanks, and forests. 
• Follow this link for a comprehensive guide to identifying and managing your yard’s invasive non-native species.

Storing Your Brush

• Remember: If you are storing your brush for the time being, keep it in paper bags rather than plastic bags. Plastic bags are not compostable and present a contamination risk that paper bags do not.
• Please ensure that any containers, bags, or piles are not obstructing sidewalks or traffic.​

This article is written for the residents of the City of Asheville in partnership with the City of Asheville.