Most Collin County cities take curbside brush cut to 3 or 4 feet and tied in 30- to 50-pound bundles. Leaves and grass usually go in paper bags, never plastic. Bundle counts, schedules and drop-off sites vary by city, and big storm piles or contractor debris usually fall outside the free programs.
What's the usual rule for brush at the curb?
The common standard here is limbs cut to about 4 feet and tied in bundles of 50 pounds or less. Frisco is stricter at 3 feet and 30 pounds, and Allen and Melissa cap bundles at 40 pounds.
Several cities also specify what you tie bundles with. Allen and Prosper want biodegradable cotton or jute, and Frisco wants compostable rope or twine.
Leaves and grass go in paper bags in McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano and Prosper. Plastic bags get left behind in Allen and Frisco.
How does brush pickup work in McKinney, Allen, Frisco and Plano?
The four largest cities each run weekly yard waste on trash day, with different limits. Allen and Plano also handle bigger brush loads separately.
- McKinney: McKinney's residential trash page collects yard waste weekly with no scheduling. Limbs must be cut to 4-ft lengths and no more than 6 inches in diameter.
- McKinney bundles must weigh 50 lb or less and be tied with string or twine. Leaves go in brown paper bags, and the weekly limit is 10 bags or bundles total.
- Allen: Allen's yard waste page says CWD collects bagged grass, leaves and small brush bundles weekly on trash day. The limit is 7 brush bundles and 15 paper bags.
- Allen bundles must be 4 by 2 ft, under 40 lb, and tied with biodegradable cotton or jute rope, twine or string. Nylon rope isn't allowed, and plastic bags won't be collected.
- Allen picks up loose limbs and branches once a month on a designated Wednesday, up to 3 cubic yards. You schedule it by calling CWD at 972.392.9300, option 2, by noon the day before.
- Allen keeps limbs, trunks and yard trimmings out of its monthly bulk collection. CWD offers special collection of larger loose-brush amounts for an extra fee.
- Frisco: Frisco's yard waste page says Waste Connections collects weekly on trash and recycle day, up to 10 bags or bundles. Grass and leaves go in paper bags only.
- Frisco limbs must be cut to 3-ft lengths, tied with compostable rope or twine, and each bundle can weigh 30 lb at most. Frisco has no program to remove whole or large portions of trees.
- Plano: Plano's yard trimmings page collects on trash day, set out before 7 a.m. Bags must be paper, 50 lb or less, and not taped shut.
- Plano brush piles can be up to 6 ft long, 4 ft high and 4 ft wide, and they don't need to be tied. Trunk pieces or stumps up to 50 lb each go in a separate pile.
What about Prosper, Celina, Melissa, Anna and Princeton?
Several of these cities allow unlimited bundles, but the bundle specs still matter. City guides cover Prosper, Celina and Melissa in more depth.
- Prosper: Prosper's trash and recycling page collects yard waste weekly on trash day, and tied, bundled brush is unlimited. Brush must be 4 ft or shorter and no more than 6 inches in diameter.
- Prosper bundles must weigh 50 lb or less and be tied with biodegradable cotton or jute rope only. Leaves and grass go in tied brown kraft bags of 40 lb or less.
- Celina: Celina's trash page collects bulk and bundled brush twice a month with no scheduling. Tied brush is unlimited, in bundles up to 4 by 2 ft and 50 lb, at the curb by 7 a.m.
- Melissa: Melissa's bulk items page takes brush bundled only, up to 4 by 2 ft and 40 lb per bundle. Loose brush isn't collected.
- Melissa's FAQ says there's no limit on the number of brush bundles you can set out.
- Anna: Anna's recycling page says yard waste goes with the CARDS bulky item pickup, every third week of the month. Anna's bulk guidelines want brush bundled, each piece no more than 4 feet or 50 pounds.
- Princeton: Princeton's residential trash page collects bulk and brush monthly through CWD. Brush bundles are unlimited, up to 4 by 2 ft and 50 lb.
And Wylie, Murphy, Lucas, Farmersville and Van Alstyne?
These cities fold brush into bulk pickup, weekly or monthly. Length limits run from 3 feet in Farmersville to 10 feet in Wylie.
- Wylie: the city's brush and bulk page says CWD collects monthly on a set Saturday. Lay brush parallel to the street, in bundles under 50 lb and under 10 ft.
- Murphy: Murphy's bulky trash page wants brush cut in 4-ft lengths and bundled, with items of 50 lb or less. It goes out with weekly bulky trash, up to 4 cubic yards.
- Lucas: Lucas's trash page takes unlimited bundled brush weekly, in bundles up to 4 by 2 ft and 50 lb. Unbundled limbs up to 6 ft and 150 lb can go in the 2-cubic-yard weekly bulk allowance.
- Farmersville: Farmersville's bulk pickup page wants brush cut in 3-ft lengths and tied in bundles of 50 lb or less.
- Van Alstyne: CWD's Van Alstyne page takes unlimited tied bundles up to 4 by 2 ft and 50 lb. Loose brush isn't collected.
What do the yard programs refuse?
Frisco's yard program won't take stumps, root balls, dirt, soil, mulch, pallets, fencing or concrete. Allen's won't take dirt, gravel, concrete, rock, sod or other landscaping materials.
McKinney's bulky item pickup excludes bagged yard waste, so leaves belong in the weekly yard collection. Plano and Allen keep brush out of their bulk programs entirely.
Plano will take unpainted, unstained wood fence panels with yard trimmings, up to 4 by 6 feet with hardware removed. Anything bigger fits our fence removal service better.
Where can you drop yard waste off?
McKinney lists Living Earth at 1385 Ranchette Rd in Celina as a yard-waste-only drop-off for its residents. Allen's do-it-yourself disposal page allows up to two yard-waste loads a month at the Texas Pure Products wood grinding facility.
Plano's do-it-yourself disposal page sends resident brush and untreated wood only to Texas Pure at Custer Road, under 8 feet in any dimension. Melissa's landfill page says residents pay the gate rate for brush, since the city doesn't join the compost program.
Our guide to dumping junk in Collin County lists the NTMWD sites, hours and paperwork.
What about Sherman and Denison?
Sherman's bulk and brush page takes up to 10 cubic yards of brush on its monthly call-in pickup. Limbs can be up to 6 ft long and 12 inches thick, with no stumps, root balls, bags or ties.
Denison's Residential Collection Station takes the first 3 cubic yards of brush free for residents. Our Sherman and Denison guide has the rest.
Who handles tree work and storm debris?
If you hire a tree trimmer, don't assume the city will take what they cut. Allen says a contractor hired to trim or remove trees must handle all the debris, and CWD won't collect it.
Prosper says commercial landscaping or tree-service debris can't be left at the curb. Sherman's rules say a contractor who trims or removes a tree must take all the trimmings.
After a storm, Allen's severe weather page says owners are responsible for trees and limbs that fall on their property. Loads bigger than CWD will collect go to the Custer Road Transfer Station.
When does hiring a hauler make sense?
Once the pile is past the bundle limits, or nobody has time to cut and tie it, the city options run out fast. Our yard debris and brush removal service clears limbs, brush, storm debris and old fence panels across Collin and Grayson County.
Send photos for a quote, pick a time, and we haul it off and sweep up. Small piles start at $189 for a Minimum Pickup, with a firm quote before we load.
Big clearing jobs may need rented or subcontracted equipment, so those get scheduled rather than done same day. Town pages cover Allen, Frisco and Prosper, and our storm cleanup post has more.