Yard debris removal in Mason County, WA costs $97.35 per ton if you sort clean branches and haul them to the Eells Hill Transfer Station in Shelton yourself. Having a crew load and haul it costs $312 to $798, depending on how much trailer space the pile fills. Burning is not the shortcut it used to be. Residential yard-waste burning is banned year-round in the Allyn, Belfair and Shelton urban growth areas.
After a windstorm drops limbs across a Hood Canal lot, the real choices are to haul it, have it hauled, or leave it. Here is what each option costs in 2026 and what the rules actually say.
Mason County publishes its 2026 disposal rates for the Eells Hill Transfer Station and the Belfair, Hoodsport and Union drop boxes. Rates rose 2.8% from 2025, in line with the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Consumer Price Index. A 3.6% refuse collection tax is added on top. Bouchard Hauling & Removal publishes its own trailer-load pricing, which includes the crew, the disposal fees and the cleanup.
| Option | 2026 cost | What you do | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haul separated, clean yard trimmings to Eells Hill (Shelton) | $97.35 per ton, plus 3.6% tax | Load, drive, weigh, unload. Branches and leaves only. | Clean brush when you own a truck or trailer |
| Haul mixed debris to Eells Hill (Shelton) | $134.27 per ton, plus 3.6% tax; $21.78 minimum | Same trip, but yard waste mixed with trash or lumber is charged as solid waste | Loads you can’t sort |
| Belfair drop box (North Mason) | $27.54 per cubic yard; $27.54 minimum | Charged by volume. Construction debris is not accepted, and the 2026 sheet lists no separate yard-trimmings rate. | Small household loads; call ahead before bringing brush |
| Hire Bouchard Hauling & Removal | $150 minimum; $312 (¼ trailer) to $798 (full 15-cubic-yard trailer) | Nothing. The crew loads, hauls, disposes and sweeps up. | Big storm cleanups, heavy limbs, mixed debris |
Pricing disclaimer: The cost estimates above are based on Mason County’s published 2026 transfer station rates and Bouchard Hauling & Removal’s posted 2026 trailer-load pricing. Actual prices vary with load volume and weight, site access, the type of debris and disposal requirements. Always request a free, written estimate before budgeting for your cleanup. Contact Bouchard Hauling & Removal for a no-obligation quote.
The sorting pays for itself. Under the Mason County 2026 transfer station rates, one ton of clean yard trimmings costs about $100.85 at Eells Hill with tax. The same ton tipped as mixed solid waste costs about $139.10. That is a 27.5% saving for keeping fence boards, plastic pots and garbage out of the brush pile. Full rate details are on Bouchard’s junk removal pricing page.
No, not inside the urban growth areas. The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) regulates outdoor burning in Mason County. It lists Allyn, Belfair and Shelton as urban growth areas where residential yard-waste burning is prohibited year-round. It also posts seasonal fire-safety restrictions. As of July 20, 2026, ORCAA showed residential yard-waste burns, land-clearing burns and recreational fires all prohibited in Mason County. Check its page before you strike a match, because the status changes with fire danger.
Outside an urban growth area, and only when no ban is in effect, the Washington State Department of Ecology allows dry yard waste to be burned under strict limits:
Storm debris adds one more rule of thumb. In its December 2025 storm-debris guidance, ORCAA asks residents to wait until debris piles dry out before burning. It is also explicit that damaged household goods and building materials, including any lumber, can’t be burned. A wet pile of fir boughs smolders and smokes for days. A pile containing a smashed fence is illegal to burn at all.
Mason County’s tree cover is the reason people live here and the reason cleanup bills climb. Tall Douglas firs and bigleaf maples overhang homes from Belfair and Allyn down to Grapeview.
When a winter windstorm hits soil that has been soaking since October, it tends to take whole limbs, not a few twigs. Many properties also sit at the end of long gravel driveways on the North Shore or around Case Inlet, so a DIY cleanup is rarely one trip.
Our view, from hauling in this county every week: in Belfair, where you cannot legally burn, the decision is really about trips. One pickup bed of leaves and small branches is a sensible Saturday run to the drop box.
A fir top that came down across a lawn in Grapeview is not. Cut it up, load it, drive to Shelton, wait at the scale, drive back, and repeat. After a few rounds, a ¼ or ½ trailer load usually looks cheap.
Haul it yourself when the debris is clean, light and fits in one or two trips. Eells Hill Transfer Station at 501 W. Eells Hill Road in Shelton is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last customer at 4:45 p.m. The Belfair Drop Box at 1611 NE Sandhill Road is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Remember that yard waste is weighed, and rain-soaked green branches are heavier than they look.
Hire it out when the pile is heavy, mixed or spread across the property. Bouchard prices by how much trailer space your debris fills, not by the hour, so the quote does not grow while the crew works. Service is same-day or next-day based on availability, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Storm debris is often only part of the job, like a shed that finally collapsed or a garage full of water-damaged boxes. In that case, one visit for residential junk removal can take the brush and the rest of the mess together.
Bouchard Hauling & Removal is a veteran-owned, family-run company based in Belfair. Our yard debris removal in Mason County covers Belfair, Allyn, Grapeview and Shelton, plus Bremerton, Port Orchard and Gig Harbor across the county lines. After a storm we haul:
We do not accept hazardous waste, paints, fuels, explosives, flammables, caustic chemicals or biohazards as junk. If a storm damaged an older building and you suspect asbestos in siding, flooring or insulation, don’t break it up. Bouchard offers licensed asbestos testing and abatement as a separate service.
No. ORCAA lists the Belfair, Allyn and Shelton urban growth areas as places where residential yard-waste burning is prohibited year-round. Outside those areas, you may burn dry vegetation only when no fire-safety burn ban is in effect. The pile can be no bigger than 4 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet.
Eells Hill Transfer Station at 501 W. Eells Hill Road in Shelton accepts separated, clean yard trimmings at $97.35 per ton in 2026, plus a 3.6% refuse collection tax. Mason County also runs drop boxes in Belfair, Hoodsport and Union. Their 2026 rate sheet lists no separate yard-trimmings rate, so call before bringing brush.
Hauling it yourself costs $97.35 per ton for clean trimmings at Eells Hill, or $134.27 per ton if it is mixed with trash. Hiring Bouchard Hauling & Removal costs $150 for a minimum pickup and $312 for a quarter trailer. A full 15-cubic-yard trailer costs $798, including labor and disposal.
Yes. ORCAA’s storm-debris guidance asks residents to wait until piles dry out before burning, where burning is legal at all. Wet wood smolders and produces heavy smoke. Damaged lumber, fencing and household goods can never be burned and must be hauled or taken to a transfer station.
For one or two light, clean loads, usually yes. For a large, heavy or mixed storm cleanup, the disposal fee is the small part of the cost. Fuel, trailer rental, several round trips to Shelton and a lost weekend often make a flat trailer-load price the better deal.
When a windstorm leaves your yard buried in branches, Bouchard Hauling & Removal will load it, haul it and leave the property clean. That is usually the same day or the next. We are veteran-owned, based right here in Belfair, and we serve Mason, Kitsap and Pierce counties with military and first-responder discounts. Contact us for a free estimate or call (844) 586-5677, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tell us what needs to go and where. We confirm by phone or email, usually the same day.
