Arlington to Increase Curbside Collection of Bagged Leaves This Fall in Lieu of Leaf Drop-Off Sites

By Office of Communications

Posted on October 31, 2023, October 31, 2023

To help keep neighborhoods cleaner this fall, the City of Arlington is going to pilot supplementing city-wide collection of bagged leaves instead of homeowners using leaf drop-off sites.

This year, the City will not have designated leaf drop-off sites, most of which were at city parks and have been heavily used in recent years. Last year, more than 628 tons of bagged leaves were collected at drop-off sites, a 47% increase from 2021. Republic Services and City staff have been unable to sustain maintenance of the sites, which have drawn neighborhood complaints about overflowing dumpsters and piles of bagged leaves left in the park parking lots.

Based on collection rules, Republic Services collects up to six 30-gallon bags of leaves per collection day. For 2023, the City is piloting having additional routes, allowing Republic to collect more bags of leaves as they are able to, with the goal of reducing the amount of time it takes to get all leaves collected city-wide. The City and Republic will consider factors such as timing of the first big drop in foliage, weather, and holiday collections, in deciding when to start and end the extra collection routes.

Bagged leaves that are picked up at the curb will not be recycled. Residents are still encouraged to mow their leaves, which helps fertilize lawns, or mulch them for compost. Residents and landscape contractors also can continue to bring bagged leaves to the Arlington Landfill, 800 Mosier Valley Road, for recycling at no cost. If the leaves are in plastic bags, they must be opened, and leaves placed in a pile. If they are in paper landscaping bags, they can simply be dropped off. Click here to learn more about the Arlington Landfill.

Like last year, Republic Services will again suspend the collection of bagged leaves, brush and bulk during the days immediately following Thanksgiving and Christmas. For example, for Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after Thanksgiving, Republic Services will not collect bagged leaves, brush, or bulk. This will allow crews time to pick up all trash on the scheduled service day to minimize the risk of delaying routes until the next day.