Yard waste in Metro Vancouver: green bins, drop-off fees and big cleanups
Branches, hedge trimmings, sod and soil: what the green bin takes, 2026 drop-off fees at Metro Vancouver centres, and when to book a haul-away.
Metro Vancouver Junk Removal & Movers
A weekend in the garden can fill a green bin in an hour. For anything bigger, from a hedge cut back hard to a lawn torn up for a patio, you need another plan. Here's what goes where in Metro Vancouver, what drop-off costs in 2026, and when a haul-away makes sense.
Yard trimmings can't go in the garbage
Yard trimmings are on Metro Vancouver's list of recyclable materials banned from garbage loads. A garbage load that's more than 5% banned recyclables is surcharged (Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program Manual, checked 21 September 2026). Branches and trimmings belong in the green bin or at a yard-waste drop-off, not the garbage.
Option 1: Your green bin
For regular garden waste, your city's green or organics cart is the cheapest option. Each city sets its own rules on bin size, extra bags and branch length, so check your city's collection page before you fill it.
Option 2: Drop it off at a recycling and waste centre
Metro Vancouver's recycling and waste centres take yard trimmings and clean wood at $139/tonne, with a $10 minimum per load (Metro Vancouver's 2026 fee schedule, checked 21 September 2026). Peak-hour minimums apply at most centres from 10am to 2pm on weekdays.
Soil, sod and rock are different. Inert fill, meaning soil, sod, gravel, concrete and asphalt, is restricted above 0.5 cubic metres per load, and a load over that is surcharged (Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program Manual, checked 21 September 2026). A torn-up lawn or a garden-bed rebuild quickly goes past that.
Option 3: A haul-away
When the pile is bigger than a car trunk, or it's sod and soil, a crew is usually faster than repeated dump runs. We load branches, trimmings, sod, soil and storm debris across Metro Vancouver, and tarp to keep driveways and walkways clean. Yard waste removal runs $149 to $449 a load, depending on how much there is, with dump fees included. See yard waste removal.
Plan a big cleanup in this order
- Separate green waste from soil, sod and rock. They go to different places and are priced differently.
- Bundle or pile branches in one spot near the driveway or lane.
- Fill the green bin first for a few weeks if you're not in a hurry.
- Book a haul-away for what's left, or for sod and soil, which a green bin won't take in bulk.
Plants that need special handling
Some invasive plants, such as giant hogweed, daphne or spurge laurel and devil's club, are accepted only at Metro Vancouver's Waste-to-Energy Facility, not with ordinary yard waste (Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program Manual, checked 21 September 2026). Don't put them in the green bin, and tell us if your pile includes any.
Common questions
Can I put sod in my green bin?
Check your city's rules; many green-bin programs exclude soil and sod. In bulk, sod counts as inert fill at Metro Vancouver facilities.
What does it cost to drop off a trailer of branches?
At Metro Vancouver centres, yard trimmings are $139/tonne, with a $10 minimum per load (Metro Vancouver's 2026 fee schedule, checked 21 September 2026).
Do you take stumps?
Tell us the size when you book and we'll tell you whether it can go.
Need the yard cleared? Call 604-348-7640 or get a free quote.
Sources: Metro Vancouver's 2026 fee schedule, checked 21 September 2026; Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program Manual.
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