Green Waste in Autumn: The Complete Guide to Clearing Your Garden Stress-Free
Leaves, branches, grass clippings: autumn brings a sharp rise in green waste from Swiss gardens. This guide helps you plan ahead, with advice on choosing the right bag size for your garden.
Why autumn is the busiest season for garden waste
Between September and November, Swiss gardens produce their highest volume of green waste of the year: large amounts of fallen leaves, the last mowing before winter, hedge and shrub trimming, flower bed clean-up, and sometimes the removal of damaged branches before the first frost. This seasonal peak often catches homeowners off guard, especially once the usual solutions can no longer absorb the volume.
Before getting started, it's worth watching a tutorial or video on autumn garden maintenance to plan your work into one or two sessions rather than spreading it over several weekends.
What counts as "green waste"?
Not all organic garden waste follows the same disposal route. Generally, green waste includes:
- Fallen leaves
- Grass clippings
- Hedge and shrub trimmings
- Small-diameter branches
- Wilted flowers and flower bed debris
- Pulled weeds
Soil, stones, tree stumps, or thicker branches, on the other hand, are often excluded from standard green waste channels and need to be handled separately — worth checking before mixing everything into one container.
Step 1: Check what your commune offers
Before anything else, the first step is to check what service is available where you live. In Switzerland, green waste management is organised at the communal or regional level, which means the rules differ from one commune to another:
- Collection point with limited quantity: many communes allow free drop-off up to a certain amount, beyond which fees apply
- Kerbside collection on fixed dates: some communes organise collection rounds during certain periods of the year
- Limited opening hours: collection points are often open only a few afternoons a week and Saturday mornings
- Advance notice required for large volumes or significant branches
The simplest approach is to check your commune's website or call the relevant service to find out exactly what rules apply where you live.
Step 2: When a Big Sack becomes useful
Some situations quickly exceed what the communal service can easily absorb in autumn:
- A large garden or several deciduous trees generating a significant volume
- No time available during the collection point's opening hours
- A big end-of-season clear-out combining several types of waste at once
- No suitable vehicle to transport large volumes
In these cases, a Big Sack is a practical solution: you fill it at your own pace, at home, with no time pressure, then schedule pick-up once it's full.
What bag size should you choose for your green waste?
The right size mainly depends on the scale of your clean-up:
The 2m³ bag suits routine maintenance: a mowing session, trimming a few shrubs, or raking leaves over a medium-sized area. It's the right format for a standard-sized garden.
The 3m³ bag is recommended for a big autumn clean-up: hedge trimming along the whole length of the property, several trees' worth of leaves to collect, or combining several types of waste at once. If you're unsure which size to pick, go with the 3m³: it's easier to have some spare capacity than to need to order a second bag partway through the job.
How it works with Big Sack, step by step
- Order your bag online or buy it directly in-store
- Set it up in an accessible spot in your garden, ideally on flat ground
- Fill it gradually as you work, without needing to finish everything in one session
- Once it's full, contact Big Sack to schedule pick-up
- The bag is collected, usually within a few days, and the waste is sent to the appropriate recovery channels
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix leaves, branches and grass clippings in the same bag?
Yes, within reason — just avoid large branches or tree stumps.
How long can I keep the bag before pick-up?
You can fill it at your own pace over several days or weeks, with no fixed deadline.
Where can I buy a Big Sack?
At Jumbo, Bauhaus and Gétaz-Miauton, as well as online.
Where to find your Big Sack
Big Sack bags are available at Jumbo, Bauhaus and Gétaz-Miauton across Switzerland. You can pick one up in-store before starting your work, or order online to have it ready as soon as the leaf-fall season begins.
