About
Residents and contractors may drop off brush, yard trim, grass, leaves, barn cleanings and wood chips. Commercial customers must have an active commercial landfill permit before disposing of wood waste. This is a plastic free area. Please take your plastic bags and tarps with you.
Wood Waste Area: 2350 Marriottsville Rd, Marriottsville, MD 21104
Residential Hours
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Commercial Hours
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Accepted Material
Yes, we accept
- Animal bedding
- Bamboo
- Branches
- Brush/weeds
- Grass
- Holiday trees
- Leaves
- Seed pods (pine cones, sour gum balls, etc.)
- Stumps/logs
No, we can't accept
- Pallets* (see a list of recyclers that may accept these)
- Railroad ties*
- Treated wood/lumber*
- Wood waste in plastic bags/tarps
*Construction & Demolition debris must be disposed at the Transfer Station.
HoCoGro Products
Purchase HoCoGro Compost, Mulch and Blended Topsoil at our Wood Waste Area. Our HoCoGro Compost is STA Certified and registered with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
- HoCoGro Compost ($24/cubic yard)
- HoCoGro Mulch ($21/cubic yard)
- Blended Topsoil ($28/cubic yard)
FAQs
What happens to the material?
Material is processed into HoCoGro compost, mulch and topsoil available for residential and commercial purchase. See below for more information.
Do you deliver HoCoGro products?
Some contractors will deliver HoCoGro Compost, Mulch or Topsoil to residents’ homes. Prices vary by vendor. Please remember that the cost listed does not include the cost of the product.
How much material should I purchase?
We sell our products by the cubic yard; they are loose and not bagged. A cubic yard is equivalent to about 13 large bags of mulch which typically each contain 2 cubic feet. A cubic yard of mulch, spread 2 inches thick will cover a 10'x15' area. There are many free online calculators that may be able to help you estimate your needs.
Measurements:
- A truck with a 4 foot bed can hold 1/2 cubic yard
- A truck with a 6 foot bed can hold 1 cubic yard
- A truck with an 8 foot bed can hold 2 cubic yards
- 1 cubic yard is roughly 173 gallons
- A 1/2 cubic yard is 17 five-gallon buckets
- Paper lawn bags are 30 gallons...1/4 cubic yard would be 1.5 bags filled full (45 gallons)
Mulch - Is there a difference?
Mulch is not regulated in Maryland. Aged hardwood mulch like HoCoGro mulch available at Alpha Ridge Landfill is the best for most uses.
Quality mulch will have two key properties: time and some leafy material mixed in. Mulch is made by recycling fresh and dried wood. Mulch made from fresh cut material has leaves and sap in the wood, which compost during the aging process, stabilizing the material. The composting process makes the mulch a medium to dark brown.
Cheap mulches are usually made of wood from unknown sources and are dyed to make them look dark, but may not have been aged. Raw or dried wood that is not composted often steals nitrogen from the soil as the natural microbes try to break down the wood. Also, dyes can sometimes have volatile organic chemicals or metals that don’t occur in undyed hardwood mulch.
Paying a little more at the hardware store, or buying the locally-made HoCoGro mulch at the Alpha Ridge Landfill are better alternatives for your garden and lawn.