Amateur gardeners repeatedly dispose of waste from tree pruning at the nearby edge of the forest. These so-called wild dumps cause high expenses for municipalities and communities every year. It can also be expensive for the person responsible.
How can I dispose of tree cuttings correctly?
Tree cuttings can be disposed of in the organic waste bin, at gardening companies, in tree cutting containers or at the recycling center. Alternatively, you can chop up the tree cuttings and reuse them in your own garden, for example for mulching or raised beds.
Disposal options
Natural and untreated wood that comes from pruning can generally be disposed of in the organic waste bin. Exceptions are possible because every public waste disposal provider has different recycling options. Check with your local authority or your waste disposal company to find out what guidelines apply.
Where you can dispose of tree trimmings:
- Gardening businesses: undertake cutting work and subsequent disposal
- Tree cutting containers: are suitable for large quantities of tree cuttings
- Recyclinghof: often enable free disposal in limited quantities
Renting a container is the ideal option if you need to fell a tree. In addition to tree trunks, you can dispose of stumps, roots and twigs and branches. Adhering soil or leaves may be added to the container in small quantities.
Reuse in the garden
You can use a chipper to shred the tree cuttings and then add the material to the compost. Branches and twigs are ideal for mulching tree slices and beds. If you want to create a raised bed for the balcony, you can use shredded wood residues as well as leaves and green waste for layering.
What costs may arise
If you use a shredder (€244.00 on Amazon), you can expect one-off purchase costs of around 500 euros. Disposal via a tree cutting container costs around 150 euros each time. There are usually no costs for smaller quantities at the local waste disposal company, although there may be differences between regions.
Wild dumps
Removing tree trimmings at the edge of the forest is considered an illegal crime. Although the material is biodegradable, it can have negative effects on nature and disrupt animal and plant communities. Harmful substances play a less important role when pruning trees, so there is generally no danger to soil and water.
The effects on human well-being, on the other hand, are of greater importance. In some areas, the dumping of tree cuttings in forests and bushes impairs the recreational function of nature because the garbage dumps don't look particularly nice.
Fines for unauthorized disposal
Depending on the federal state, there are different fines for illegal disposal. These also depend on the quantity. A distinction is made between the volume of a bucket, a trunk and a truckload. The lowest fines for small loads in Schleswig-Holstein are five to 20 euros. In Bremen and Hamburg, fines of up to 2,000 euros are possible. Unloaded quantities that exceed a truck load can cost up to 2,500 euros in Saarland.
Tip
You should never dispose of old wood such as railway sleepers together with tree cuttings, as these can be contaminated. This is intended to be disposed of professionally at the recycling center.
