Prepare Leaves for Collection

Steps to Prepare Leaves for Collection
Follow these steps to help the collection teams efficiently and safely remove leaves from the curb.

Find the latest collection schedule here.
  1. Rake leaves to the curb and avoid placing them in the street.
  2. Pile leaves away from storm drains and water meter covers.
  3. Only rake leaves to the curb. Do not include stones, litter, branches, or other debris that may damage equipment or block storm drains.
  4. Do not include green yard waste in your leaf pile such as English ivy, plant leaves, or flowers. The composting process, the city uses for leaf mulch, does not heat up enough to kill spores inside green yard waste such as leaves. Only place leaves at the curb, which ensures a high quality end compost product, free of English ivy spores. Place green yard waste in brown paper bags with yellow yard waste stickers. Yard waste in brown bags will be composted at a commercial composting facility where temperatures are high enough to kill spores.
  5. Never park your car on a leaf pile - it's a fire hazard.
What Happens to the Collected Leaves
The leaves that are collected are processed into high-quality leaf mulch, which is available for self-loading at the Recycling Center beginning in late February.