It's November, the leaf pile at your curb is taller than the mailbox, and the brush is still stacked by the fence. A normal fall goes curbside, a trailer load goes to the county drop-off, and a whole-yard job goes in a roll-off. Pick by pile size.
Which route fits the size of my leaf and brush pile?
Pile size decides it. Don't start with the dumpster and work backward. Start with what's in the yard and match it to the cheapest route that actually clears it.
- Curbside pickup: fits a normal fall. Bagged leaves, a few bundles of trimmings, one weekend of raking. Your city runs it, so you work on their schedule.
- County drop-off: fits one trailer or truck bed. You haul it yourself, you unload it yourself, and it's done in an afternoon.
- Roll-off dumpster: fits a whole-yard job. Storm limbs, a torn-out fence line, overgrown beds, a fall overhaul where everything comes out at once.
Most Greater Cincinnati yards only need the first one. The other two are for the weeks when the pile outruns the pickup truck.
How long does city leaf pickup run in Mason, Hamilton and Cincinnati?
Pickup windows are set by each city, and they change from year to year. Check your city's website for this season's dates. Last season's dates show how much runway you have.
Mason ran leaf pickup from the week of Oct 13 to the week of Dec 8 last year. Hamilton ran leaf collection from Nov 11 to Jan 23 last season. The City of Cincinnati picks up yard waste in season, and that program ended Jan 16 last season.
Those windows are long, but they aren't open-ended. Once the last truck passes your street, anything still in the yard is yours to move. Bag types, bundle sizes and what the truck will take are your city's rules, so check your city's guidelines before you stack anything at the curb. If a pile is too big for pickup, call us and we'll help you figure out the next step.
What does curbside pickup not cover?
Curbside is built for ordinary fall cleanup. It isn't built for a yard that took a hit. Here are the situations where we hear from homeowners after pickup has already come and gone.
- Storm limbs that came down in a single night and are too thick to bundle.
- A whole fence line pulled out, with posts, rails and panels stacked in the yard.
- Beds that were overgrown for two or three seasons and are now coming out down to bare dirt.
- A fall overhaul where you're clearing shrubs, old mulch and wooden landscape ties in the same weekend.
- Pickup ended on your street and the brush is still sitting there.
We see this every fall in Fairfield, Middletown and Liberty Township. The rake work gets done, the leaves go out, and then a limb comes down or a fence gets pulled and the pile doubles. That second pile is the one pickup was never going to take.
If you recognize your yard in that list, the pile has outgrown the curb. Don't wait for next year's schedule. Brush doesn't get lighter sitting in the rain.
Where do I take leaves and brush in Hamilton County?
Hamilton County runs yard-trimmings drop-off sites. In 2026 they're open Mar 21 to Dec 6, and they close Nov 26 for Thanksgiving. You can find the site list and hours on the Hamilton County yard trimmings drop-off sites page. Check it before you load the truck, since site hours and what each site takes are set by the county.
A drop-off run makes sense when the pile is one load. A pickup bed or a utility trailer, one trip, you're done. It stops making sense when it's the fourth trip, or when the branches are too long and heavy to lift in and out by yourself.
Living in Butler County? Our Butler and Hamilton County recycling centers guide covers where to take what, so you can plan the trip before you go.
When is a roll-off dumpster the right call for yard debris?
A roll-off is the right call when the job is the whole yard. Branches, shrubs, old mulch, fence sections and wooden landscape ties all go in a standard roll-off. That's the mix you get when you tear a yard down to start over, and it's the mix that eats up a month of curbside pickups.
On-Site Dumpster Solutions is an owner-operated roll-off company out of Butler County, and we offer two sizes, a 15-yard and a 20-yard. The 15-yard includes 3,000 lb and the 20-yard includes 4,000 lb. If you go over, overage is a flat 4 cents per pound. Standard rental is 7 days, so you can load as the work goes instead of making trips.
Before you load:
- Fence sections and landscape ties are heavy. Plan for the weight as well as the size of the pile.
- Branches stack better when you cut them down and lay them flat, with the long pieces on the bottom.
- Fresh green wood and wet leaves weigh more than dry debris of the same size.
- A 15-yard handles most single-yard projects. Go with the 20-yard when you're clearing the whole property.
If you're sizing a bigger landscape project, our yard overhaul dumpster guide walks through what fits in each size.
Is a dumpster worth it for leaves alone?
Leaves by themselves are light and bulky. A pile that looks huge in the yard may weigh very little, and that's a different question from the one we get on branches and fence lines. We don't want you renting a dumpster you don't need.
So call and we'll tell you if a dumpster makes sense for your pile. Tell us what's in the yard, how much of it, and where you'd want the dumpster to sit. We'll tell you straight whether curbside, the county drop-off or a roll-off fits better.
Questions we hear about yard debris
What if pickup ended and my brush is still in the yard?
Then you have two options. Haul it yourself to a county drop-off site if it's one load, or put it in a roll-off if it's more than that. Don't leave it stacked at the curb, because the truck isn't coming back. Check your city's guidelines for anything the city still takes.
Can I put leaves and brush in the same dumpster?
Yes. Branches, shrubs and old mulch go in a standard roll-off, along with fence sections and wooden landscape ties. If you have anything else in the yard, call and ask us before you load it.
Will the dumpster damage my driveway?
No. Wood blocks go under the rails on every delivery, so steel doesn't touch your pavement. We deliver to Mason, Hamilton, West Chester and the rest of Butler, Hamilton, Warren and Clermont counties, and we've got Sunday delivery when the weekend is when you've got time.
When to call us instead of making another dump run
Call us when the pile is bigger than one trailer load, when pickup has ended and the brush is still in the yard, or when the project is a storm cleanup, a fence line, overgrown beds or a full fall overhaul and you'd rather load it once than haul it five times.
If you're not sure which route fits, that's a fine reason to call too. We'll look at what you've described and tell you whether to rake it to the curb, drive it to the county or put a roll-off in the driveway. Jason answers the phone himself, from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.
Got a pile that's outrun the curb? Call 513-484-2414, tell us what's in the yard, and we'll tell you the right route and the day we can drop the dumpster.