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A public resource guide
Free yard waste removal in Tucson, AZ
Every free and paid way to get rid of yard waste in Tucson, verified October 2026.
Checked against Tucson Environmental Services
Home › By item › Yard waste › Tucson
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of yard waste in Tucson, verified October 2026.
Checked against Tucson Environmental Services
2x a year
Brush and Bulky collection in each of Tucson's 26 service areas
10 cu yd
maximum per household, out by Monday of your week
5
tires accepted, in a separate pile
Fees apply
Los Reales Sustainability Campus, fees apply
Every route for yard waste in Tucson, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Tucson guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Tucson, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Tucson Brush and Bulky collection: yard waste
FreeBrush is half the program: limbs up to 5 feet long and 24 inches across, and boxed cactus under 25 pounds. Tucson has no weekly yard waste cart, so brush waits for your Brush and Bulky week or goes to Los Reales.
Who qualifies: City of Tucson residential trash customers in the 26 service areas. Apartment complexes use commercial service.
How to schedule: No appointment. Crews visit each service area twice a year; find your weeks on the city's Brush and Bulky schedule and map. Set items in front of your home by Monday of your collection week; collection finishes by the end of the week. A Brush and Bulky Anytime special pickup is available for a fee ($55 for up to 10 cubic yards) between cycles.
Limits: 10 cubic yards per household (one cubic yard is about a washing machine). Up to 5 tires in a separate pile. Brush up to 5 feet long and 24 inches across; lumber, metal, and pipe up to 5 feet.
Set-out: In front of your home, out by Monday of your scheduled week and no more than two weeks ahead. Separate piles for tires and lumber. Remove refrigerator and freezer doors.
Los Reales Sustainability Campus (landfill): yard waste
Fees applyGreen waste accepted.
Where: 5300 E. Los Reales Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756
How it works: Self-haul disposal for a fee by load or weight. Household hazardous waste is accepted free from city residents on scheduled days; check hours and current fees on tucsonaz.gov.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Tucson: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering yard waste, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Tucson: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Tucson runs a unique zone-based bulky pickup system: FREE Brush & Bulky Plus collection TWICE per year, 10 cubic yards per event, included in the Environmental Services fee with no additional charge. The City has 26 residential service areas, each receiving collection roughly every 6 months. Place piles at the curb by 6 AM Monday of your zone’s scheduled week; collection occurs anytime that week (Mon-Fri). CRITICAL CHANGE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2026: piles MUST be at the curb in front of your home, piles in alleys will NOT be collected (with limited exceptions for special pickup areas). Brush & Bulky has strict separated-pile rules: brush separate, lumber separate, tires separate, scrap metal separate. Brush limit: under 5 ft long, 24 in diameter; lumber under 5 ft. Box cactus pieces with a 25-lb limit per box. Remove appliance doors. Glass is NOT in the blue recycling bin, use the unique purple drop-off containers across the city. Plastic bags and Styrofoam ARE collected curbside through the Hefty ReNew orange bin program (rare nationally). Mandatory composting via FoodCycle program. Holiday schedule is one of the simplest, only 3 holidays affect collection. Special Brush & Bulky pickups available for $55 base + $25 per additional 15 minutes + $5 per additional cubic yard. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Tucson rule for yard waste: Brush is half the program: limbs up to 5 feet long and 24 inches across, and boxed cactus under 25 pounds. Tucson has no weekly yard waste cart, so brush waits for your Brush and Bulky week or goes to Los Reales.
Program basics: 10 cubic yards per household (one cubic yard is about a washing machine). Up to 5 tires in a separate pile. Brush up to 5 feet long and 24 inches across; lumber, metal, and pipe up to 5 feet. In front of your home, out by Monday of your scheduled week and no more than two weeks ahead. Separate piles for tires and lumber. Remove refrigerator and freezer doors.
What the city will not take: TVs and computer monitors, construction material, concrete, dirt, rocks, and gravel, glass and mirrors, compressed gas cylinders, and household hazardous waste.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Tucson Environmental Services: Brush and Bulky. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Why yard waste are different from ordinary bulk. Bundling rules are where most yard waste gets skipped. Branches typically must be under 4 feet long and 4 to 6 inches in diameter, tied in bundles under 40 to 50 pounds, and limited to a number of bundles per week. Leaves go in paper bags or carts, not plastic, in most programs because the material is composted. Plastic bags of leaves are the most common curbside rejection.
Three mistakes that get yard waste left at the curb:
Paid options cover stumps, large tree removals, and heavy loads of sod and soil.
Stump grinding
$100 to $400 per stumpGrinding a stump in place to below grade is cheaper and easier than removing it. The grindings can be left as mulch or bagged as yard waste where the program allows wood chips.
Mark utilities first. Call 811 before grinding near service lines.
LoadUp paid yard waste pickup
$80+For households who need same-day or in-home pickup, exceed the 10-cu-yd-per-event limit, can’t wait until the next zone rotation, have items the City won’t accept (concrete, construction debris, glass, TVs), or want full-service hauling without managing separated-pile rules and curb-placement requirements, LoadUp offers professional removal in Tucson with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your yard waste. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book yard waste pickup in Tucson with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Tucson proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Tucson junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national yard waste disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Tucson: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Tucson pick up yard waste for free?
Yes, on your Brush and Bulky week, cut to 5 feet, cactus boxed.
How much does paid yard waste removal cost in Tucson?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single yard waste pickup in Tucson starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who need same-day or in-home pickup, exceed the 10-cu-yd-per-event limit, can’t wait until the next zone rotation, have items the City won’t accept (concrete, construction debris, glass, TVs), or want full-service hauling without managing separated-pile rules and curb-placement requirements, LoadUp offers professional removal in Tucson with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
How do I put yard waste out for pickup?
Leaves and clippings in paper lawn bags or the green cart, not plastic. Branches cut to the length limit (usually 4 feet), under the diameter limit (usually 4 to 6 inches), tied in bundles under 40 to 50 pounds. Check your city’s weekly bundle limit and season in the directory below.
Why can’t I use plastic bags?
Because yard waste is composted or ground into mulch, and plastic contaminates the product. Most programs require paper bags or carts; a few accept plastic bags that crews empty and leave behind.
Which states ban yard waste from landfills?
More than 20 states ban some or all yard waste from landfills, including Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Delaware among others. That is why curbside programs are so common.
What do I do with a tree stump?
Grind it in place ($100 to $400), dig it out and take it to a transfer station as inert material, or list it free for someone who wants firewood or a planter. Most curbside programs exclude stumps and root balls.
Is this Tucson page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Tucson guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.