How Grand Lakes Residents Can Prep Pruned Branches for Easy Pickup: Best Trash Guidelines and Earth-Kind Tips
As spring growth returns in full force, pruning season is underway across Grand Lakes. Whether you're shaping hedges, trimming trees, or removing dead branches, it's important to prepare your yard waste in a way that ensures timely and efficient pickup by the community’s waste service provider, Best Trash.
Proper pruning isn't just about curb appeal—it plays a key role in plant health, safety, and sustainability. To help residents tackle spring landscaping with confidence, here’s what to know about Best Trash's collection guidelines and expert pruning advice from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Earth-Kind® practices.
Best Trash Tree Trimming Disposal Guidelines
To ensure your pruned or trimmed branches are picked up without issue, Best Trash requests that Grand Lakes residents follow these specific curbside collection rules:
- Branches must not exceed 4 inches in diameter
- Maximum length is 4 feet per branch
- All trimmings must be tied and bundled
- Each bundle must weigh no more than 40 pounds
- Up to five tied bundles will be collected per pickup day
Important Note: If a landscaper is handling your yard maintenance, please ensure they remove all trimmings as part of their service. Most professional landscape providers include debris removal in their fees.
Questions? Contact Best Trash directly at 281-313-2378.
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Earth-Kind® Pruning Tips from Texas A&M AgriLife
Proper pruning improves plant structure, promotes healthy growth, and minimizes disease risk—but it also makes bundling and disposal easier. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service recommends the following Earth-Kind® pruning techniques for homeowners:
- Prune to enhance plant health, not just shape. Remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs first.
- Use clean, sharp tools to make smooth cuts that heal quickly and reduce disease risk.
- Prune at the right time. Most trees and shrubs are best pruned during late winter to early spring, just before new growth begins.
- Avoid leaving stubs. Make clean cuts near the branch collar to promote proper healing.
- Do not remove more than 25% of a tree’s canopy in a single season. Over-pruning can stress the plant and reduce vigor.
- Cut back to lateral branches or buds to direct future growth and maintain a natural appearance.
By following these principles, homeowners can encourage drought tolerance, reduce maintenance needs, and keep their landscape both healthy and environmentally responsible.
For more detailed information on Earth-Kind pruning techniques, visit the Texas A&M AgriLife Earth-Kind Landscape Guide.
Why Pruning Prep Matters
Efficiently preparing your yard waste ensures not only timely pickup but also safer streets and cleaner neighborhoods. Loose, oversized branches or improperly tied bundles can delay collection or even be left behind—something both homeowners and service providers want to avoid.
And from a horticultural perspective, good pruning practices help reduce the need for excessive trimming in the future, leading to less waste and better long-term growth.
Take care of your yard. Take care of your plants. And take the hassle out of disposal by pruning and bundling the right way this spring.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
