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Diseased trees, bushes and shrubs

How to dispose of diseased trees and shrubs

Aphids

Small pear shaped insects that feed on plant sap.

Ash leaf cone roller

Caterpillar/moth like insect that rolls tree leaves.

Black knot fungus

Large knots (abnormal growths) of bark that encircle the branch.

Bronze leaf disease (BLD)

Effects certain poplar and aspen trees.

Fire blight

A bacterial disease that browns and kills leaves, flowers and branches.

Satin moth

Feeds on poplar tree leaves.

Oystershell Scale

Small clusters of oyster-shaped “shells” that cover bark on shrubs and trees.

Ash psyllid

Small insects on tree leaves, resulting in curling leaves.

Elm scale

Tiny crawling insects on leaves, twigs and branches.

Yellow-headed spruce sawfly

Caterpillar like insect on spruce needles.

How to dispose

There are two ways to dispose of diseased trees and scrubs depending on whether you have small or large quantities.

Small quantities of diseased trees and scrubs

  • Put into your black cart

Put small quantities of bagged diseased trees, bushes and shrubs into your black cart as garbage. 

  • Diseased trees and shrubs must be bagged and securely tied closed to prevent the pests and diseases from spreading.
  • The bagged trees must fit inside of the black cart. Make sure the lid can be pulled over. Do not leave bags of diseased trees and shrubs outside of the cart – they will not be collected even if tagged.

Large quantities of diseased trees and scrubs

  • Take to a City landfill

Take large quantities of bagged diseased trees to a City landfill for disposal – charges will apply. 

  • Diseased trees and shrubs must be bagged and securely tied closed to prevent the pests and diseases from spreading.
  • Your load must only contain infested trees/shrubs as this material must be disposed of in a separate section at the landfill, away from other yard waste. You must notify the scale house operator that you have diseased trees and yard waste.

Why can't this be composted?

Plant diseases and insect infestations can spread during transportation and processing at the composting facility. By taking these troublesome species to the landfill we maintain high compost quality and reduce the spread of plant diseases and pests in our community.

Map of landfill locations

Image credit

  • Ash psyllid: Photo by David Gould, on naturespot.org.uk
  • Black knot fungus: Photo by Christine, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Bronze leaf disease (BLD): Photo by Nancy Gregory, University of Delaware, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Elm scale: Photo by J. Berger, Bugwood.org
  • Fire blight: Photo by I, Paethon, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2261833
  • Oystershell Scale: Photo by SB_Johnny, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Satin moth: Photo by mollsie on Flickr
  • Yellow-headed spruce sawfly: Photo by Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension

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