Environmental Services
2009 Leaf Collection Program
 | Biodegradable Bag Collection - November 2 to January 15 Vacuum Collection - November 13 to December 24 | |
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 During the months of November and December, Arlington County collects leaves from residents who receive county curbside trash and recycling services. Residents can rake their leaves in loose piles to the curbside for Vacuum Leaf Collection , or put their leaves in Biodegradable Leaf Bags for collection. In a classic recycling effort, the County mulches the leaves and brush it collects from residents, and grinds them to create mulch that is available to residents. This year Arlington County is taking a proactive approach to enhance the leaf collection program based on citizens concerns raised last year with thorough research and planning. Find out more about this years leaf collection planning process.In 2006, Arlington recycled enough leaves to cover the Wizards basketball court at the Verizon Center with a 18-story leaf pile! |
Biodegradable Bag Collection and Recycling
| November 2 - January 15, 2010 (Mon.- Fri. including holidays, except Christmas and New Year's Day) Leaf bags are collected on the next business day after your regular trash collection day. *Note: If your trash is collected Friday, your last leaf bag will be collected Monday, January 11th. |
| The leaf bag collection program is available to provide convenient weekly service and add some additional flexibility for residents. To recycle your leaves, place leaves ONLY in paper biodegradable lawn and leaf bags, which can be made into mulch along with the leaves. Do not use plastic bags! Leaves in plastic bags cannot be recycled and are collected as trash on your next collection day. Paper Leaf Bags are available at most hardware stores including Home Depot and Lowes and from the county at several locations around Arlington. Please use any bags left over from the spring yard waste collection program. The biodegradable bags are collected only during Fall Leaf Collection and Spring Yard Waste seasons and will not be collected at other times of the year. |
For leaf bag collection, residents should:
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| Get FREE Leaf Bags October 19, 2009 - January 8, 2010 |
| Langston Brown Center: 4854 Lee Highway - 703-228-5210 Lubber Run Center: 300 N. Park Dr. - 703-228-4712 | Aurora Hills Center: 735 18th St. S. - 703-228-5175 |
| Madison Center: 3829 N. Stafford St. - 703-228-5310 | Long Branch Nature Center: 625 S. Carlin Springs Rd. - 703-228-6535 |
| Lee Center: 5722 Lee Hwy - 703-228-0550 | Solid Waste Bureau: 4300 29th St. S. - 703-228-6570 Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm |
| Thomas Jefferson Center:3501 2nd St. S. - 703-228-5920 | Courthouse Plaza Info Desk: 2100 Clarendon Blvd. 703-228-3000 Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm |
Vacuum Leaf Collection and Recycling
| November 13 - December 24 (Mon. - Sat. including holidays, except Thanksgiving) |
Crews will make 2 passes through each neighborhood between November and December. Vacuum leaf collection is conducted by civic association. Not sure about what civic association you are in? Check here for civic association maps.
For vacuum collection, residents should:
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| *Note: To ensure leaves are collected on time, citizens with Contract Lawn Services, should plan accordingly to have leaf piles raked before scheduled vacuum pick up or use the leaf bag collection service. |
Get leaf vacuum schedule updates:
Have the most up-to-date information on when crews will be in your neighborhood and updates due to weather and rate of leaf fall
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| Miss a collection? We ask residents who missed the first vacuum collection to bag their leaves for the next weekly bag collection or wait for the second vacuum pass. As a result of the careful planning mentioned above and a considerable workload, we cannot return to vacuum leaves raked out after crews have already made a pass on the street. |
The Story Behind Leaf Collection
Collection Schedule - Arlington ’s Department of Environmental Services (DES) comprehensively reviews historical data, analysis of tree canopy type and density, the National Weather Service Forecast, the Virginia Dept. of Forestry Forecast, and resident feedback to develop our leaf collection schedule. The schedule helps us to better allocate collection resources and serve neighborhoods when fallen leaves are heaviest. Yet, even with all of this analysis and planning, it’s still ultimately up to Mother Nature as to when the leaves will fall.
Commitment to Service - The leaf collection program is an important County service with nearly 100 people dedicated to the program each season and over 30 pieces of equipment including vacuum trucks, rear loading collection trucks, and loaders. By the end of the 2009-10 leaf season, we expect to collect over 45,000 cubic yards of leaves for processing into leaf mulch. DES begins planning early in the year so the program will run seamlessly and cost-effectively.
Each year, staff recruit and hire approximately 40 temporary employees, prepare equipment, train workers, and evaluate data to develop an effective collection schedule. Other County employees post signs, deliver bags, and provide processing and storage support. Still others manage communication updates and answer the phones. And even before the final biodegradable leaf bags are collected, many of these same employees are already working on Christmas tree collection.
In order to continually improve our efforts, we will survey a number of residents at the conclusion of each vacuum pass to assess the quality of the program. Please take the time to let us know how we did. We take your comments very seriously, and together, we can make this year’s leaf collection program one of the best on record.
What Else Can I Do With My Leaves?
- Shred your leaves and let them enrich your lawn. Run a lawnmower over them several times or use an electric leaf shredder.
- Mulch your shrubs by putting a two-to-four inch layer of leaves around their bases.
Home Composting
Composting is easy, good for your garden, and is the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to dispose of your leaves. For more information on composting, check our Compost page, call the Horticulture Office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service at 703-228-6400 weekdays or visit them at 3308 S. Stafford Street in the Fairlington Community Center. You can also visit the Arlington County Library for information.
