What Counts as Yard Debris

Yard debris removal in Dothan, AL covers a wider range than most people expect. If it came out of the yard and it is now sitting in a pile, it usually qualifies. The load is bulky rather than heavy, which means it fills a truck fast and is worth clearing in one trip instead of hauling it out a trunk load at a time.

• Branches, limbs and cut sections of trunk already on the ground
• Storm downed brush, blowdown and hedge trimmings
• Leaves, pine straw, grass clippings and bagged yard waste
• Old fencing, wooden pickets, chain link and posts
• Deck boards, railings and shed tear-out debris
• Dirt, sod, sand and small amounts of gravel
• Landscaping timbers, railroad ties and edging
• Cracked pots, old planters, birdbaths and concrete ornaments
• Kiddie pools, trampolines, swing sets and worn out patio furniture

We do not take paint, chemicals, fuel or propane, and pressure treated lumber and railroad ties need to be flagged when you request the quote since disposal for them is handled differently.

What the city picks up and what it does not

This is the first thing worth checking, because if municipal collection will take your pile for free, you should let it. The City of Dothan handles some yard waste at the curb, though limits vary on volume, length, bundling and what materials qualify, so it is worth checking the current rules before you assume anything.

The pattern in most towns is similar. Bagged leaves and neatly cut, bundled limbs within a stated length are typically fine. Large storm piles, whole trunk sections, stumps, treated lumber, fencing, construction debris and anything mixed with household junk usually are not. Limits also tighten or loosen after severe weather, and a pile that would normally be collected can sit for weeks when the whole county has debris out.

That gap is where we come in. If the pile is too big, mixed, or simply cannot wait, we take it in one trip.

Storm season in the Wiregrass

Southeast Alabama gets its debris in bursts. A line of severe storms comes through, and within an hour every other yard between Dothan and Enterprise has limbs down. Tropical systems tracking inland from the Gulf do the same thing on a bigger scale, and a single night of straight line wind can leave more brush across Houston County than a whole season of normal pruning.

Two things happen after that. Everybody has a pile at once, and municipal crews get overwhelmed, so piles sit at the curb far longer than usual. A brush pile that sits attracts snakes and pests, kills the grass beneath it, and turns into a fire concern once it dries out. There is also the insurance side, where documenting the damage before the yard gets cleared matters. Take photos before anything moves.

What We Are Not: We Are Not a Tree Service

This is worth being plain about, because people search for the two things together. We haul debris that is already on the ground. We do not climb, we do not cut down standing trees, and we do not take limbs off a live tree over a roof.

If a tree is still standing, leaning, split, hung up in another tree or resting on a structure, that is a job for a tree service with climbers and rigging. If a tree is already down and cut into pieces, or a crew left the wood behind, that is exactly our work. Plenty of our storm jobs are cleanup after somebody else did the cutting, and there is no reason to pay tree service rates for the hauling half of the job.

If you are not sure which side of that line your job falls on, send a photo with the quote request and we will tell you honestly, even when the answer is that you need somebody else first.

Fence, Deck and Shed Tear-Out Debris

Old fencing is one of the most common yard hauls we get, and it is deceptively bulky. A run of wooden privacy fence produces a pile several times larger than it looked standing up, with nails and posts mixed in. Chain link is easier to roll but the posts are usually set in concrete, and those footings are heavy.

The same goes for a torn out deck or a collapsed shed. Deck boards, joists, railings and stair stringers pile up quickly, and shed debris usually comes with a mix of metal roofing, plywood and whatever had been stored inside for the last decade. We take the debris. We are not doing the demolition itself, so the tear-out needs to be done or in progress, though we can work alongside as material comes down if the timing suits.

Concrete footings, pavers and broken slab are heavy for their size. Mention them at the quote stage, because weight is the one thing that changes a yard debris load from bulky to genuinely heavy.

What Affects the Price of Yard Debris Removal

Yard debris is priced on volume in the truck, adjusted for how much work it takes to get the material there.

Grouping helps. If a shed came down and the contents are also going, that is one visit and it prices better than two. Household items in the same load fall under cleanouts, old patio furniture under furniture removal, and a rusted out window AC unit sitting by the fence under appliance removal.

Where We Haul

We cover Dothan and Houston County, plus Ozark, Enterprise, Headland, Daleville and Ashford. Storm weeks are busy across the whole Wiregrass at once, so getting a quote in early matters more then than it does the rest of the year. If the debris is part of a bigger project and you are weighing a container instead, see the dumpster rental alternative page. Otherwise send photos through the contact page.