Soil changes the pile and the weight
A stump with a root ball is wood plus soil, rocks, and sometimes a length of old fence wire. Many yard-waste areas want clean brush and will refuse a stump, or they will accept a stump only if the soil is knocked off. Call and ask about diameter, soil, and whether stumps are a separate pile from branches. Say stump, not brush. A stump is also heavier than a truck bed full of limbs of the same height. Know your vehicle. If you cannot lift the piece with the people you have, do not drag it into the bed and hope the site has a forklift waiting. Do not burn a stump in the yard as a disposal method. Do not hide a stump in a load of leaves. If you searched for a yard-waste site by ZIP code or city, confirm the stump rule, because listings can be out of date.
Knock off what the site told you to remove
If the site wants the soil off, do that at home with a mattock, and watch for rocks that will fly. Leave any large rock in the rubble or trash stream it belongs to, not in the organics. Wire, rebar, and landscape fabric stuck in the roots must be cut away if the organics pile bans them. Bag the fabric. It is plastic, not a root. A stump that was treated with a chemical stump remover, paint, or creosote should be described as treated. Do not call it clean yard waste. Ask before you load it. Creosote and chemical treatments are a common reason an organics attendant rejects a piece that otherwise looks like wood. If you cannot tell what was poured on it, say so.
Set it where it cannot roll
Roll a round stump to the truck on boards, with two people, and stop if it starts to run. In the bed, tip it onto its flattest side, against the cab, and strap it. A round stump will roll into the tailgate and then into the lane at the site. Tell the scale house you have a stump and whether soil is still attached. Unload only in the bay assigned. Do not push a refused stump into the brush pile after the attendant said no. Take it back or pay the path they offered for mixed wood and soil. Sweep rocks out of the bed before you leave.
Before you go
- Call and ask whether stumps are accepted and whether the soil must be removed.
- Pull out wire, fabric, and rocks, and disclose any chemical treatment.
- Load the stump with two people and strap it so it cannot roll.
- Unload in the assigned bay and take it back if stumps are refused.
Calling a soil-covered root ball clean brush and unloading it on the chipping pile.
Questions people ask
Is a stump grinding pile the same as the stump?
Grindings are loose wood and soil mixed together. Ask the site about grindings separately. Do not bag them into the trash without asking, and do not dump them in a storm drain.
Can I cut the stump into smaller cookies?
If you have the saw and the skill, smaller pieces may be easier to lift, but only if the site accepts cut stumps. Do the cutting at home, not on the tipping floor.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.