Seven Ways to Deal with Green Waste
…and why mulching on‑site usually gives you the most bang for buck
Clearing Green Waste i.e. vines, hedge trimmings and fallen branches is the easy bit, what you do with the pile afterwards is where choices kick in.
Below are eight straight‑up options our clients around the Mornington Peninsula and South‑East Melbourne weigh up, plus the plain‑spoken pros and cons of each.
By the end you’ll see why rolling in a mulcher (and either keeping or carting away the chip) tends to come out on top.
Option A – DIY Trailer Run to the Tip
If you already own a decent‑sized trailer, you can load everything yourself and head to one of the Shire’s Resource Recovery Centres.
The standard green waste charge is $46 per cubic metre, which is about 1 6×4 trailer load (flat), and sometimes the councils run free Green Waste days.
Meaning your only outlay is time, fuel and maybe a pie at the servo for a job well done.
Option B – Skip Bin in the Driveway
The classic renovation solution works fine for garden jobs too. The bin is dropped and you fill it.
Good bits
Perfect for staged clean‑ups over several days.
You can toss palm fronds, stumps and soil off‑cuts so long as the provider allows it.
Watch‑outs
Skips are priced by size then weighed; green waste is heavy when wet.
Takes up precious driveway space (and may need a council permit if on the street).
You still lug every branch the whole way to the bin.
We recommend this option for green waste when the customer is digging out roots full of dirt, stumps etc.
If the green waste is predominately branches and bushes, a mulcher + a single trailer run to the tip for the roots can be a good alternative.
Option C – Mulcher On‑Site - our favourite, no bias whatsoever 😉😉
You feed all green waste (some exceptions) through a chipper / mulcher, leaving you with a fresh pile of mulch. And the best bit, you know exactly what goes on in your garden, so you can trust the mulch.
Good bits
Closed loop: zero cart‑off costs, carbon miles kept to your block.
Mulch acts as a blanket that locks in moisture and shuts out weeds (research shows evaporation drops by ~25 %). Saving you money and helping you with a more productive garden
Looks sharp instantly, spruce up paths, beds and orchard rows with the chips.
Watch‑outs
There are a smorgasbord of mulchers available for sale, some are good, some are absolute rubbish and you’ll be pulling your hair out in no time. A few years ago I had a $1,000 mulcher, it mulched for 15 mins, then I had to remove stuck branches for a further 30 mins, on repeat. My personal opinion if you want to mulch is to hire a chipper or to get a company like Groundwise around, this way you get access to powerful chippers when you need it.
If you’re not keen on keeping the mulch companies like Groundwise can take it away and put it to use on another property.
Option D – Seasonal Burn‑Off
Old‑school but still legal outside the Fire Danger Period if you follow CFA and local council rules, registering a burn, supervising the pile and dousing it before dusk. Check full details on the CFA burn‑off page and your local council’s permit system.
Good bits
Zero carting, zero mulch storage.
Fine for thin twiggy material that smokes less.
Watch‑outs
Fire bans, smoke complaints and neighbour relations to think about.
Not exactly pleasant on a still day.
Ash doesn’t add much structure back to soil compared with chunky mulch.
Option E – Bury It
Dig a trench, fill it with prunings, cover it and wait a couple of years. Worms do their thing eventually.
Good bits
Costs nothing but calories.
Adds organic matter right where you buried it, eventually.
Watch‑outs
Hard yakka with clay soils.
Risk of hitting irrigation, pipes or tree roots.
Slow breakdown; might create air pockets and subsidence.
Option F – Build a Compost Heap/Pile
Chip fine branches, layer with lawn clippings and kitchen scraps, turn it weekly, and in six to nine months you’ll have rich, dark compost.
Good bits
Best‑practice recycling: you close the nutrient loop on site.
Finished compost is gold for vegie beds and ornamental borders.
Watch‑outs
Needs space, occasional turning and a basic greens‑to‑browns recipe.
Big woody chunks need pre‑shredding or they’ll hang around for years.
For the science‑inclined, check out Gardening Australia’s quick guide to hot composting for the optimal mix of carbon and nitrogen.
How the Options Stack Up on Cost & Effort
Cheapest in dollars: DIY trailer run (if you already own the trailer) and it’s a bi-annual green waste day. If not, then it will likely be more expensive than mulching.
Cheapest in hours and effort: Mulcher on‑site or mulcher + truck, one crew, one session, no loading out by hand.
Lowest environmental footprint: Mulcher on‑site & composting (zero transport emissions).
Most neighbour‑friendly: Anything but a smoky burn‑off or skip hogging the kerb.
Why We Nudge Clients Toward Chipping
Money stays on your block – Skip bins of green waste often cost more than hiring a chipper crew once you factor minimum hire periods, weight charges and tip fees.
Soil health – Woodchip spreads break down slowly, feeding fungi and improving moisture retention so you can water less over summer.
Weed suppression – A fresh layer around 75 mm deep blocks light; less weeding means more hammock time.
Looks the part – Clients love the “instant landscaped” finish; paths, under fruit trees and garden beds all look tidy in one hit.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re clearing storm damage in Red Hill or pruning vines in Shoreham, managing the green‑waste pile is half the project. For most households the mulcher route hits the sweet spot of cost, speed and sustainability. But whichever option you pick, doing it safely and legally, especially when it comes to burn‑offs or trailer loads is key.
If you’ve got a mountain of trimmings and want to turn today’s mess into tomorrow’s mulch, give the crew at Groundwise a bell. We’ll swing by, chip it on the spot, and leave your place looking sharp.