Limb pickup and Tree for Fee in Columbus

Taking a tree down is half the job; the other half is the pile it leaves. Columbus separates ordinary yard waste from cut trees, and both from what a contractor produces on a paid job. Here's how the city's collection page sorts them.

Yard waste: the regular pickup

• Yard waste carts are collected on the same day as household garbage, effective September 9, 2024.
• Limbs must be no longer than four feet and no wider than six inches in diameter. Larger limbs are not collected.
• Bulk yard waste and large piles need a scheduled pickup: call 311.
• The city's bulk waste crews can't pick up mixed piles.

Cut trees: Tree for Fee

The city says plainly that tree collection is not part of its normal solid waste service. For trees cut on private property:

• Call (706) 225-4661 and ask for a Tree for Fee pickup.
• The charge: $50 per load plus a $76.50 tipping fee per ton, billed separately.
• Timing: about one week from the request.
• Reduced garbage rate? The tree charge drops by the same percentage.
• Declining it? If you turn down city collection, the trees have to be removed within ten days of notice.

Contractor debris

Under City Ordinance 13-167.2(8), landscaping and other contractors have to remove the solid waste their work creates, and it can't be left at the curb on trash day. Construction and demolition material, which the city says includes trees, concrete and dirt, goes to the Pine Grove Landfill, 7900 Pine Grove Way, (706) 225-4515. When you compare quotes, check that haul-off is included; Lawn Love's national guide lists $100 to $200 for hauling tree debris.

After big storms

Three times in recent years the city has set its fees aside for a while:

• February 2019: Tree for Fee suspended for widespread storm damage; trees cut in 4-foot lengths went to the curb free through March 1.
• March 2019, after the March 3 tornado: free curbside debris through April 4, in lengths of four feet or less, placed away from power lines; residents who hauled their own could get the Granite Bluff Landfill fee waived with a 311 certificate.
• April 2025, after storms in Midland: free pickup of large tree debris from April 9 through May 31 for residential customers, scheduled through 311.

Those windows were announced after each storm, so check with 311 rather than assuming one applies.