Arlington Intensifies Leaf Collection Efforts Post-Thanksgiving, Promotes Recycling for Cleaner Community

This fall, the City of Arlington is making a greater effort to keep areas clear of falling leaves. Following a successful trial program last year, the home curbside pickup program for bagged leaves is receiving a boost. The City of Arlington has announced that Republic Services, the business responsible for the collection, will expand its bulk, brush, and yard debris collection schedule to include additional routes in order to especially handle the expected leafy surplus after Thanksgiving.

The city has provided clear instructions for anyone who is unclear about how to dispose of their leaves. Bagged leaves should still be placed curbside by households for bulk, brush, and yard waste staff to manually collect. Up to twelve 30-gallon bags of leaves can be swiftly collected by Republic Services per residence on a single collection day. But keep in mind that unless residents take further action, these bagged leaves will not automatically end up in a composting system; instead, they will be handled as waste.

Thus, Arlington is encouraging its residents to recycle their leaves, which is a habit that is good for the environment. Instead, the city encourages citizens to mulch or mow their leaves, which can help them make compost or fertilize their lawns. The Arlington Landfill, located at 800 Mosier Valley Road, is still accepting unbagged leaves for free recycling for anyone who wants to do so. While leaves in paper landscape bags can be dropped off for recycling right away, leaves in plastic bags need to be de-bagged.

The change in approach comes after the city decided last year to no longer use designated leaf drop-off locations in parks because Republic Services and municipal employees were unable to maintain the locations in a sustainable manner. In addition to the startling 628 tons of bagged leaves that were collected at these locations in 2022—a 47% increase from the year before—overflowing trash cans and dirty parking lots also caused neighborhood complaints.

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