Yard waste in Durango has three outlets, and which one you use depends on where you live and what season it is. Inside the city, branches and leaves ride on the Spring and Fall Cleanup program, plus a sign-up leaf pickup that starts October 23, 2026. Outside it, or any time you want to haul your own, the county runs a yard waste drop-off at the Bayfield Transfer Station for $4 a cubic yard. Burning it is not an option inside the city.
How does Durango's Spring and Fall Cleanup handle yard waste?
It takes branches and leaves on a set neighborhood schedule, and only for people who pay for it. Only City of Durango residents who pay the Spring/Fall Cleanup fee directly on their utility bill can take part, so renters should ask a landlord to confirm the fee appears on the bill (City of Durango). The program is run by the city's Streets Division. The fall pickup accepts:
- Tree trimmings and branches under 8 feet long and under 8 inches across, not bagged
- Leaves, pine needles and brush in paper bags, with no tape or staples, which go to composting
- Anything in plastic bags goes to the landfill instead
Items must be out by the day before your neighborhood's pickup week and no earlier than a week ahead, or it counts as illegal dumping. Crews do not come back. The 2026 fall schedule ran from September 28 to October 22 and is now finished. Spring Cleanup ran March 30 to April 30 this year, and the city has not posted next year's dates. Spring's accepted list is wider: furniture, mattresses, scrap metal and remodeling debris on top of yard waste, with a limit of two loads per residence. County residents cannot bring items into city limits for cleanup. For fall questions, call 970-375-4839.
How do I get leaves picked up after cleanup week?
Sign up for the city's extra leaf service. Starting October 23, 2026, city residents can order bagged-leaf collection separate from their cleanup week (City of Durango). The steps are short:
- Buy 30-gallon compostable paper leaf bags at Kroeger's Ace Hardware, Home Depot, City Market, Walmart or online, with no plastic or plastic-lined bags
- Sign up on the Table to Farm Compost website only once you are ready for pickup
- Set the full bags at the curb right after signing up, and do not seal them with tape or staples
Bags are collected within a few days. The service takes leaves, pine needles and cones, and small woody material that fits in a bag, but no branches wider than your pinkie finger. Existing Table to Farm customers should log in and place an order in the shop and not create a second account. You do not have to buy any other Table to Farm service. Questions go to info@tabletofarmcompost.com. The city has not posted an end date for the leaf service.
Where can I take yard waste myself?
The Bayfield Transfer Station, at 4496 County Road 223, about halfway between Durango and Bayfield. La Plata County says yard waste costs $4 per cubic yard there, and the program is open until snow falls or the ground is too muddy for vehicles (La Plata County). Slash and tree trimmings are welcome. Grass clippings, sagebrush, mulch and large tree trunks are not. Take your plastic bags back out with you, because plastic is not allowed in the yard waste area. The Marvel Transfer Station has no yard waste option. The station attendant's line is 970-749-0738, and the station is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with its own Saturday hours, and it is closed Sundays.
The county converts the pile to mulch from time to time and lets you self-load it for free whenever the station is open. Do not store mulch within ten feet of your house. Large mulch piles can heat up and ignite on their own, so the county advises several small piles over one big one, spread within 24 hours and kept lightly moist.
What about food scraps and compost in bear country?
Keep them secured. The city's wildlife page tells residents to secure compost piles because bears are attracted to the scent of rotting food, and to clean up fallen fruit under fruit trees (City of Durango). Table to Farm's curbside food-scrap service sends a five-gallon bucket with a wildlife-resistant lid, and customers are told to set it out by 8 a.m. on recycling day and bring it back in at night (Table to Farm Compost). The city says food scraps and yard trimmings make up roughly 25 to 35 percent of what a community like Durango sends to the landfill, and council directed staff in 2025 to study organics ordinances (City of Durango).
Can I burn yard waste instead?
Not inside city limits. Durango Fire & Rescue says all open burning other than a small attended recreational fire is not permitted in the city. Outside it, a burn pile needs an open burn permit, and the pile is limited to 4 feet by 4 feet (Durango Fire & Rescue). See our answer on fire pits in Durango, and the trash and recycling answer for what goes in your regular bins. Tree services haul larger jobs.