Can I use the green box site down the road?

For bagged household trash, yes. For brush and leaves, generally no — the county routes all brush debris to the landfill, and only the Hardy and Lake Watch sites have brush containers, for small residential amounts. A yard's worth is not a small amount.

I am at Westlake or Smith Mountain Lake. How far is the landfill?

Far enough that it changes the math. The landfill is on Route 220 south of Rocky Mount, and the lake side of the county is a substantial drive from it — repeated for every load. Lake lots also tend to be large and heavily wooded, which is exactly the combination that turns leaf disposal into a full weekend.

Is it cheaper to just burn them?

It is legal within limits, but the limits are tight. Nothing before 9 a.m., no fuel added after 9 p.m., out by midnight, someone with it the whole time and a water source present — and from February 15 through April 30 the state 4 PM law overrides that with a stricter start. Public Safety is 540-483-3091, and the county has issued emergency burn bans in dry years.

How do I get a price without knowing my load count?

You do not need to know it. Tell us the property and we price the yard, not the trailer — the number of landfill runs is our side of the equation. Get a price online, or call if the lot is steep, wooded or hard to reach, which describes a lot of the lake side.

Franklin County · Virginia

The green box down the road cannot take your leaves. Route 220 can.

Franklin County has no curbside collection, which by itself is normal for a county this size. The geography is what makes leaves hard. There are 10 manned sites and 25 unmanned green box sites, and for bagged household trash the one near you works fine — but brush is routed out of that system almost entirely. Leaves go to the landfill on Route 220 south of Rocky Mount. If you are at Westlake or anywhere on the Smith Mountain Lake side, that is a real drive, and you make it once per load.

Get a price for your address Ask for a written quote

Covers Rocky Mount, Boones Mill, Westlake Corner — all unincorporated, so county rules apply rather than any town program of their own.

What Franklin County does with your leaves

No curbside — landfill run for anything bulky

Drop-off only, with brush kept separate from everything else. All brush debris and large bulk items have to go to the county landfill rather than a green box, so the convenient sites are exactly the ones that cannot help you. Hardy and Lake Watch are the narrow exceptions, with containers for small amounts of residential brush — a lake-lot leaf haul is not a small amount. The landfill itself takes yard waste, and its hours are the ones your weekend has to fit inside.

All brush debris and large bulk items must go to the landfill. Hardy and Lake Watch are the only exceptions, with containers for small amounts of residential brush only.
10 manned green box sites and 25 unmanned ones across the county — none of them a brush solution.
The landfill sits at 9340 Virgil H. Goode Highway, Route 220 south of Rocky Mount, and takes household waste, yard waste, scrap metal, white goods and cardboard. Lead-acid batteries are not accepted.
Attendants have the authority to ask for proof of Franklin County residency or tax payment.
Commercial businesses may not use the green box sites.
Construction and demolition waste is free for homeowners in personal vehicles, but that free tier is described for C&D — not for yard waste. Call before assuming leaves are free.

Burning them

Franklin County sets its own hours on top of the state law, and they are specific: no open burning before 9 a.m., no fuel added after 9 p.m., and the fire must be completely out by midnight. Someone has to stay with it the whole time and a water source has to be present. From February 15 through April 30 the state 4 PM law overrides that with a stricter start time. Public Safety is 540-483-3091, and the county has issued emergency burn bans in dry years.

We make the Route 220 run, not you

On a big wooded lot near the lake, the leaves are half the work and the driving is the other half — several loads, each one down to the landfill and back. We do the raking, the loading and every one of those trips, and your Saturday stays where it was.

See my price now (540) 302-5511

Your address and about a minute for a real price. Or call and talk to the person who does the work.

Questions we get in Franklin County

Can I use the green box site down the road?: For bagged household trash, yes. For brush and leaves, generally no — the county routes all brush debris to the landfill, and only the Hardy and Lake Watch sites have brush containers, for small residential amounts. A yard's worth is not a small amount.
I am at Westlake or Smith Mountain Lake. How far is the landfill?: Far enough that it changes the math. The landfill is on Route 220 south of Rocky Mount, and the lake side of the county is a substantial drive from it — repeated for every load. Lake lots also tend to be large and heavily wooded, which is exactly the combination that turns leaf disposal into a full weekend.
Is it cheaper to just burn them?: It is legal within limits, but the limits are tight. Nothing before 9 a.m., no fuel added after 9 p.m., out by midnight, someone with it the whole time and a water source present — and from February 15 through April 30 the state 4 PM law overrides that with a stricter start. Public Safety is 540-483-3091, and the county has issued emergency burn bans in dry years.
How do I get a price without knowing my load count?: You do not need to know it. Tell us the property and we price the yard, not the trailer — the number of landfill runs is our side of the equation. Get a price online, or call if the lot is steep, wooded or hard to reach, which describes a lot of the lake side.

Nearby, with different rules

Bedford County

No curbside — seasonal drop-off windows only

Bedford County takes yard waste only April 15–May 15 and October 15–November 15. The autumn window shuts while the oaks are still dropping. Here is how to work around it.

Roanoke County

Biweekly bulk & brush, A/B week rotation

Roanoke County collects bulk and brush biweekly, but not materials from paid contractors. That one line decides how leaf cleanup works in Cave Spring, Hollins and Glenvar.

Roanoke City

Bagged only — paper, never plastic

Rake leaves into a Roanoke street and the city can bill you $100 plus the contractor's cost. Here are the bag rules, the four collection windows, and what to do instead.