Alternatives to Burning
For many residents, burning is the only practical means of reducing vegetation around their homes to minimize the risk to their lives and property from wildfire. El Dorado County has recently enacted a Vegetation Management Ordinance. The ordinance requires that hazardous vegetation and combustable materials that can spread fire be cleared, reduced, or replaced a minimum distance of 100 feet from each side of any structure. While the burning of dry vegetation is allowed on permissive burn days, smoke impacts to communities are becoming more common as population density increases. Please consider utilizing green waste disposal, free chipping service, community clean up days, composting, or commercial vegetation management businesses to reduce burning your yard waste and creating the associated smoke impacts.
Green Waste Disposal Service
- El Dorado Disposal (EDD) currently has green waste disposal service in the following areas:
- El Dorado Hills CSD, Cameron Park CSD, City of Placerville, El Dorado Disposal Service Area A, and Grizzly Flat CSD (from May – October). Call the EDD office to see if green waste service is available at your property.
- If you are an EDD customer with green waste service available to you, you can have two 96 gallon green waste bins that will be serviced every two weeks. Additional green waste bins are available for $5 every two months (Grizzly Flat CSD $5.82 per quarter). If you have more than fits in your bins, you may bag or bundle the excess vegetation and arrange for EDD to pick it up during your regularly scheduled green waste collection day. EDD allows most areas to dispose of an additional five 32 gallon bags of green waste every two weeks. The Cameron Park CSD area is limited to two extra bags biweekly. You must call EDD to arrange the pick-up of extra bags. Only paper bags are accepted.
- EDD provides two unlimited curbside bagged green waste pick-up days per year to their entire service area, not just the areas with green waste included. You must contact EDD to arrange excess green waste pick up. Only paper bags are accepted.
- Annually, EDD provides vouchers that allow all customers to take a pickup truck full of green waste to the Materials Recycling Facility at 4100 Throwita Way, Placerville, CA. An additional voucher for free disposal of one pickup truck full of solid waste can also be used for green waste. A third voucher is provided that allows for the curbside disposal of 18 paper bags of green waste, in addition to all of the green waste disposal options noted above. Only paper bags are accepted.
- View the EDD website: http://www.eldoradodisposal.com/
- Contact EDD Customer Service: (530) 626-4141
- South Tahoe Refuse (STR) provides unlimited weekly green waste disposal in their service area within the Tahoe Basin, and one paper bag or can of green waste per can of trash service paid for in their Service Area B. STR also provides 4 unlimited green waste disposal dates per year where customers can bring loose green waste in a pickup truck or moderately sized trailer, no bags.
- STR annually provides customers with vouchers for free rubbish disposal which can be used to dispose of a pickup truck or trailer load of green waste outside of the unlimited green waste days. Tahoe Basin customers receive 4 vouchers and Service Area B customers receive 2 vouchers per year.
- STR provides free Christmas Tree recycling for the two weeks following Christmas, provided that the sections of the tree are cut down to less than 6 feet in length. Contact STR for further information.
- Visit the South Tahoe Refuse website: https://www.southtahoerefuse.com/
- Contact South Tahoe Refuse Customer Service: (530) 541-5105
- TTSD does not include curb side green waste pick-up in their El Dorado County service area on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe. Residents can schedule to have bags of green waste no greater than 32 gallons and 40 pounds picked up from the curb on their regular trash day for a per bag fee.
- Year round TTSD customers are provided with a voucher to dispose up to 3 yards of waste between May and October at the landfill located at 900 Cabin Creek Rd. Truckee, CA. Excess green waste can also be disposed of by renting a dumpster or taking it to the landfill at TTSD's standard rate. Contact TTSD to set up bag pick up, dumpster rental, inquire about pricing, or for further information.
- Visit the Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal website: http://www.waste101.com/
- Contact Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal Customer Service: (530) 583-0148
Grant Funded Chipping Programs
- EDCFSC has a free chipping program available to West Slope residents. See the requirements to participate in the program and apply at: https://www.edcfiresafe.org/programs-grants-2/chipper-program/
- EDFSC in coordination with Local Fire Safe Councils, Community Services Districts, and El Dorado Disposal organizes Community Clean-Up Days during which a large green waste dumpster is available for residents to bring their yard waste to. Contact your local fire safe council to urge them to organize a Community Clean-Up Day.
- Visit the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council website: https://www.edcfiresafe.org/
- Contact the EDCFSC at: (530) 647-1700
- Cameron Park Community Services District offers free Christmas tree chipping service for a short time following the holiday. View their website or call them for further information.
- Visit the Cameron Park CSD website: https://www.cameronpark.org/
- Contact Cameron Park CSD: (530) 677-2231
Composting
- El Dorado County Environmental Management Solid Waste Composting Information:
- University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of El Dorado County Composting Information:
- El Dorado Disposal Yard Waste and Composting Information:
Hiring Commercial Tree/Fire Safety Businesses
- If the options listed above will not work for you, you may consider hiring a tree service, landscaping, or fire safe clearing business to assist you with vegetation removal at your property. Options include: chipping, mastication, hauling material to the dump, hazard tree removal, tree trimming, etc. Many local companies are available for hire. Check with your neighbors, your local Fire Safe Council, the yellow pages, or search the internet to find options.
Contact AQMD
- Contact AQMD for any questions or clarifications regarding the information above. Thank you for working with us to improve air quality!