City of Cape Girardeau

Yard Waste

The yard waste collected by the City of Cape Girardeau is ground into mulch and made available to the public in the southeast corner of Arena Park on a first come first serve basis.

There are several different options for disposal of leaves, bush clippings and limbs. 

City Compost Bags can be purchased at Schnucks, Food Giant, or Utility Billing just outside the Osage Centre,  for leaves, grass clippings and gumball disposal.  After purchasing the city compost bags, call Public Works at 573-339-6351 to schedule a Wednesday compost pickup.  The bags come in groups of five for $7.45 and there is no charge for the pickup.  The city compost bags are the ones with the bright green stickers.  

Recycling Center
Yard waste items (leaves and twigs with 1/4" diameter or smaller) can be taken to the Recycling Center at 2007 Southern Expressway for no charge.

Transfer Station
Limbs with a diameter of 1/4" of larger will need to be taken to the City Transfer Station at 2055 Corporate Circle.  Normal transfer station fees will apply for limb disposal.

Wednesday Pickups
Wednesday Special Pickups can also be scheduled for limbs and brush. 

Leaf Program
Between October and March, the city provides curbside leaf pickup for Cape Girardeau citizens.  The program includes leaf pickup with an automated truck in both scheduled and unscheduled routes.  The vacuum hose on the automated truck picks up the leaves that have been raked curbside.  Leaf piles must be kept free of limbs and other debris to avoid damaging the equipment.  Detailed information on the current year's program can be found in our Leaf Season Brochure.

The City's Leaf Collection Program consists of 3 Phases:
Phase 1 runs through the month of October.  The automated leaf truck travels the entire city continuously on unscheduled routes.

Phase 2 runs from November through December.  The leaf truck runs the routes designated on the brochure map during the dates outlined for each route.  Leaves will only be collected at each residence one time during this phase.  It is important to have the leaves curbside before your route's start date so they are not missed.  Scheduled routes can be affected by weather. 

Phase 3 begins at the end of phase 2 when all scheduled routes have been completed at least once and continues through the end of March.  The leaf truck will travel the city continuously on unscheduled routes during this phase and may be at each residence more than once.

Christmas Tree Disposal
From Dec. 26 through Jan. 31, real Christmas trees can be dropped off free of charge in the southeast corner of Arena Park (near where the animals are during the fair). Trees can also be picked up curbside as part of a Wednesday Special Pickup. The fee for this service is $6.00 per tree. plus a fuel surcharge which changes every month depending on fuel prices.