Autumn officially began on September 22, and the weather’s already started cooling off. Leaves will be changing — and falling — before you can say “American Dogwood.” In anticipation for the falling foliage, the city is kicking off its leaf pickup services on Monday, Oct. 7.
Bagged leaves will be picked up curbside along with trash. Up to 10 bags can be set out at a time, and biodegradable bags are preferred. Need to dispose of more than 10 bags? There will be certain days set aside for unlimited bag pickups.
Fall foliage will likely peak in mid October.
Photo by @ginter.park
If you’re expecting a particularly high quantity of leaves this year, the city has announced a schedule of periods during which it will pick up an unlimited number of leaf bags per house. The periods are divvied up based on trash collection days.
City residents with Wednesday trash collection days will be eligible for unlimited pickup between November 6 and 20. Thursday collection days will occur between November 21 and December 1, Mondays between December 3 and 18, and Tuesdays between December 19 and 31.
Starting on Nov. 4, the city will also offer a vacuum option for leaf pickup. This service costs $30 per pickup and is available by request. Make sure to remove rocks, sticks, and any other potentially damaging material from your leaf pile prior to pickup, and the leaves will be gone within 15 days of the request. Requests can be made online, or by calling 311.
If you’d rather take care of your leaves yourself, a compost bin can be purchased from Public Works. The city also offers three free drop-off centers on East Richmond Road, Maury Street, and North Hopkins Road.
Vacuum leaf collection in Henrico will resume in November. Chesterfield has not yet released plans for this season’s leaf collection. In Hanover, unbagged leaves are accepted year-round at the Mechanicsville Courthouse and Elmont Convenience Centers, as well as the Route 301 Transfer Station.
