2019 Fall Leaf Pickup: When Does It Happen in My Town?
So when does fall leaf collection start in my town?
Along with trick-or-treat hours, pumpkin recycling and haunted house events, that’s the question of the month of October.
Leaf-collection programs in Kane County are, if you’ll pardon the pun, a mixed bag. Some already have started, some don’t start until later this month. Some allow leaf burning, some don’t. Some do free vacuuming, some don’t.
As a service to readers, here’s a roundup of news release and website information on leaf-collection dates and processes for municipalities in Kane County.
If we missed any, please email a news release, website link and photo to kanecountconnects@gmail.com.
Many of the Kane County communities not listed below have a yard waste collection program under which all yard waste must be placed in biodegradable paper bags.
Typically, those programs run though October and November, but you should consult your municipality’s public works department for up-to-date information.
ALGONQUIN
Free Leaf and Brush Collection Begins
As of Sept. 30, nothing on the Algonquin website clearly indicates the 2019 program for leaf collection. However, in previous years, the village has said Groot will provide the collection of leaves and brush at no charge from Oct. 1 through Dec. 15.
Leaves must be placed in standard paper yard waste bags or cans that are clearly marked with a red “X.”
Place all bags or cans at the curb during your regular collection day. Bagged lawn clippings along with other general yard waste shall be placed separately from bagged leaves and bundled branches and will require the use of prepaid stickers.
Stickers will be available for purchase at www.groot.com and a variety of retailers. Stickers are of a universal nature in which they can be used for cans or bags of both garbage and yard waste
AURORA
Free Fall Leaf Collection Begins Oct. 21
Autumn is here, and Aurora residents will be able to dispose of their leaves for free as part of Aurora’s Annual Leaf Collection Program.
The free Fall Leaf Collection Program begins Monday, Oct. 21 and ends Friday, Dec. 6.
Leaves must be put into a 30-gallon Kraft paper yard waste bag and placed at the curb on the regular garbage pickup day by 6a.m. No waste sticker is needed.
YARD WASTE
Yard waste collection will also take place through Friday, Dec. 7, as well. On the regular garbage pickup day, yard waste must be placed in a 30-gallon Kraft paper yard waste bag not to exceed 50 pounds.
Each bag must have a waste sticker attached. The stickers used for yard waste are the same as the stickers used for excess garbage. Yard waste mixed with trash or yard waste in a trash can or plastic bag will not be collected.
BUNDLED BRUSH
Residents are also being reminded that brush must be bundled for collection. Unlimited bundled brush collection is in process and will end on Friday, Nov. 2. Branches and limbs 1/2 inch to 4 inches in diameter and 2 feet to 4 feet in length must be bundled. Each bundle must weigh less than 50 pounds.
Bundled brush does not need a waste sticker. Brush less than 1/2 inch in diameter is considered yard waste and must be packaged as previously described.
Batavia
How the curbside vacuum collection program works
Click this link to read more about Batavia’s leaf collection program.
SOURCE: city of Batavia website
Campton Township
Campton Township Highway District’s Fall Brush Pick-up Begins Oct. 7, 2019
- Editor’s Note: These are pickup times for brush, which does not include leaves. According to the Highway District guidelines, “Brush is hereby defined as trimmings from bushes or shrubs, as well as tree branches from trimming and/or pruning trees. Not considered to be brush are logs, root balls (not dirt), stumps, grass clippings, flowers, weeds, plants, leaves, lumber or anything in plastic bags or other such containers.”
Highway District’s Fall Brush Pick-up Begins Oct. 7, 2019
Highway District Schedules Brush Pick-Ups For Fall 2019
The Highway District has announced the Fall 2019 dates for brush pick-up in Campton Township. Brush must be placed on the edge of the road by the weekend before the scheduled pick-up in your area:
Fall Brush Pick-up:
- Monday, Oct. 7, through Friday, Oct. 11, for north of Route 64
- Monday, Oct. 15, through Friday, Oct, 18, for south of Route 64
- Monday, Oct, 21, through Friday, Oct. 25, for Campton Hills in Plato
Please make sure your brush conforms to Highway District guidelines for pick-up.Residents with questions about the brush pick-up may contact the Highway District at 630-365-9300.
Carpentersville
There will be no change to the yard waste collection program. Groot will continue to provide weekly yardwaste
collection for all single family residents from April 1 through Nov. 30.
All yard waste must be placed in
biodegradable paper bags. Biodegradable paper bags must not exceed 33 gallons in size and 50 pounds in weight.
Residents may request a separate yardwaste cart for a seasonal fee and a one-time drop off charge, by simply calling Groot at (847) 429-7370.
Carpentersville refuse collection guidelines.
East Dundee
Burning Is Allowed
Yard waste burning is only allowed on the second and fourth Saturdays during the months of October, November and April and the second and fourth Sundays during the months of October, November and April.
Open burning under this section shall be allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. October and November.
Burning waste during other months could result in a complaint being filed. Small campfires, however, are allowed year round.
Elgin
Elgin Announces 2019 Fall Leaf Collection Programs
Free bagged leaf collection begins Oct. 1 and the city’s on-street collection program in designated areas will begin on Monday, Oct. 28. Both leaf collection programs run through the first week of December. These programs help residents remove seasonal yard waste, as well as lessen the potential for flooding from excess leaves left in the street that can block storm sewer drains.
Free Yard Waste Bag Collection
Waste Management does not require stickers for yard waste bags Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. Bagged leaves are collected weekly on residents’ regular garbage pickup day.
State law prohibits the disposal of leaves and other yard waste in landfills; therefore, these materials cannot be placed in plastic garbage bags or mixed with normal garbage. Please also be aware that leaf burning is prohibited in Elgin.
Yard waste includes materials such as leaves, brush, branches, grass clippings, plants, weeds and other similar waste. Yard waste must be placed in biodegradable Kraft paper bags (maximum 33 gallons and 45 pounds) for collection. Yard waste placed in plastic bags will not be collected.
On-Street Leaf Collection
Beginning Monday, Oct. 28, weather permitting, the city of Elgin will collect leaves raked out into the street in designated areas. Leaves should be raked along the curb by 6 a.m. on the designated area’s special collection day, shown on map below.
Leaves placed in the street after the crews have passed will not be collected until the next scheduled date. Note: The on-street collection day may differ from bagged leaf collection day.
Please do not mix trash, branches or other yard waste with leaf piles. Avoid parking on the street on scheduled leaf collection days; leaf piles blocked by cars will not be collected.
Residents in the on-street collection areas may also place leaves in yard waste bags for free collection by Waste Management on regular garbage collection days.
As part of Elgin’s sustainability efforts, residents are encouraged to compost leaves or mulch leaves into their lawn with a lawnmower. Mulching controls weeds, uses less fertilizer, enables better water infiltration, reduces thatch and improves soil quality.
Please remember that weather and other delays may affect the published schedule.
In the event of snow, all on-street leaf collection will cease as snow and ice control operations take priority. Therefore, residents are encouraged to bag leaves for weekly collection by Waste Management whenever inclement weather is forecast.
Find program details on the city’s website or by contacting Elgin 311. For updates throughout the leaf collection season, follow the City of Elgin on Facebook and Twitter or download the Elgin 311 mobile app, available in Google Play and the App Store.
For more information, please contact: Molly Gillespie at 847-931-5613 or visit www.cityofelgin.org/leafpickup
Geneva
Ready, set, rake!
There are two collection programs in Geneva: curbsite vacuum collections and a leaf bag collection.
Leaf Vacuuming
The community is divided into three geographical zones. Each zone will be collected three times during the five-week program using leaf vacuum equipment. Every street will be collected one time during each of the three separate pickups. Residents will be required to rake their leaves to the parkway prior to their scheduled pickup date.
Each zone requires two to three days to complete. On the scheduled start date of that zone, the crews will start at the beginning of the zone to insure no customers are missed.
Program Requirements
Residents must place their leaves on the parkway no later than 7 a.m. of the Monday of your scheduled pickup period. If leaves are placed on the parkway after the collection crews have gone by, they will not return until the next scheduled pickup date.
Each year, the order in which the zones are collected is alternated to provide equal service to all residents. Collection this year will require approximately two to three work days to complete each zone.
- PLACE LEAVES on the parkway parallel to the street and approximately 12 inches behind the curb or edge of pavement.
- Leaves CAN NOT be placed in the street or in the curb/gutter. This will obstruct the flow of storm water runoff during rain events AND causes street flooding.
- Do not include any debris such as garden materials, brush, grass clippings, cans, paper, bottles, construction materials, etc.
- DO NOT place leaves on the parkway earlier than the weekend of your scheduled pickup week. Leaves must be place on the parkway by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your scheduled pickup period.
- Do not to place leaves behind obstacles such as: parked vehicles, trees, mailboxes, fire hydrants, streetlights, etc.
- Please place leaves in boxes, not in bags, if leaves must be placed in a container.
- Please move temporary/portable basketball hoops off the parkway and away from the curb or edge of pavement.
- Do not place leaf piles in the alleys. Place the leaf piles in front of your home. The collection equipment cannot navigate in the alleys due to the size of the equipment.
LEAF BAG COLLECTION PROGRAM
Dec. 1, 2019 to Dec. 28, 2019.
Residents must place the leaves in paper yard waste bags and place them out for collection on your scheduled refuse collection day. The refuse collection company will collect yard waste bags weekly until Dec. 28, 2019.
- Refuse stickers are not required from Dec. 1 to Dec. 28.
- Leaves only must be placed in the yard waste bags. No grass or other yard waste can be mixed with the leaves.
SOURCE: city of Geneva website
Montgomery
Montgomery Announces Fall Bulk Brush Pick-Up Service
Montgomery Public Works Department will provide bulk brush collection during the week of Oct. 7. To help ensure that we can continue to efficiently provide this service to Montgomery residents, the following rules have been established:
- Brush must be stacked neatly in the parkway by Sunday evening prior to the scheduled pick-up week. Crews will begin Monday morning and will make only one pass through each neighborhood. Brush that is blocked by parked cars or placed after Village crews have passed will not be collected.
- Brush should be neatly piled in one direction, unbundled (not tied), with the larger trunk portions or cut ends facing the street. Brush piles should not be taller than three feet high and should not obstruct the sidewalk.
- For safety reasons, branches must be no smaller than 1 inch — but no larger than 4 inches — in diameter and no shorter than 3 feet in length. Public works crews will not pick up piles that include bushes with roots and dirt attached, grape or other vines, lumber, plywood or construction materials (including but not limited to metal objects, concrete/stone chunks, etc.). Piles that are not neatly stacked or contain any of these items will not be picked up.
- Twigs, leaves and smaller yard debris need to be placed in yard waste bags for removal by the village’s regular garbage hauling service.
- Bulk brush pickup is not intended to handle branches, logs or tree stumps as a result of large-scale tree trimming or removal.
- This service is provided to residential properties only. Public works crews will not remove brush from commercial, industrial or other non-residential properties.
- Brush must be placed on the parkway in front of the property from which it originates (Village of Montgomery Code, Section 9-45). Brush piled in the right of way behind your address, or brush not originating from the address where the pile is placed, will not be collected. Brush may be placed in the parkway for removal up to one week before the scheduled pick-up date.
- If your brush pile is not picked up, a tag will be left behind explaining the reason it wasn’t collected. You will then be required to adjust the pile to meet the requirements of the weekly collection by the refuse company.
The above rules apply only to the spring and fall bulk brush collection events.
Weekly brush collection is offered by the village’s trash hauler, DC Recycling, on your regular trash day and has different rules. For weekly brush collection by DC Recycling, bundles of brush/branches must be tied with juke twine, should not exceed 2 feet wide by 2 feet high and cannot exceed 4 feet in length or 50 pounds.
Residents can put out an unlimited number of yard waste bags and properly bundled brush each week for no additional charge from April 1 to Nov. 30.
Link: village of Montgomery Leaf Collection Page
North Aurora
Bagged Leaf and Yard Waste Pick-up
Leaves can be placed in Kraft paper bags for pick-up and will not require a sticker, for the months of October and November. All other yard waste (brush, twigs, etc.) will require a sticker at all times. Bagged leaves and yard waste will be picked up by Waste Management on Fridays until the end of November.
Yard waste pick-up ends the last Friday of November, and resumes in April. Any leaves and yard waste not put out for collection during this time, will need to be held until yard waste pick-up resumes in April.
Curbside Leaf Program
The Village of North Aurora offers a free leaf pickup service to residents. The leaf pickup program runs from mid-October through late November, and is provided to residents every other week.
For residents living on the west side of the river, pickup begins on the third Monday of October. Residents living east of the river pickup will begin on the fourth Monday of October.
When completed each side of town will have received three pickups. Note: Even though pickup begins on Monday at 7 a.m. all streets can not be service in one day. To ensure pickup during the designated east/west weeks please have your leaves out by 6:30 a.m. Monday of the specific week, to ensure pickup in case your street is serviced first.
Please keep in mind
- Pushing leaves into the street is a violation of ordinance 03-04-28-04, Section 12.06.010.
- Leaves in the street get extremely slippery and crate a hazard for pedestrians and vehicles.
- Leaves must be on the parkway by 6:30 a.m. on your designated Monday.
- Leaf piles with vehicles parked in front of them will not be picked up
- Avoid raking foreign material into leaf piles.
- NO DIRT, ROCKS, METAL, or BRANCHES
- Inclement weather or a large volume of leaves could alter the schedule
Residents
- Rake leaves onto the parkway (area behind the curb, gutter, or road edge).
- Rake leaves in a row parallel to the street, on the parkway, at least 1 foot back from the curb.
- Keep leaf piles less than 2 feet in height.
- Keep leaves away from ditches, pipes and culverts
- LEAVES ONLY, no brush, branches, rocks, landscape waste
Link: village of North Aurora Leaf Collection Page
Sleepy Hollow
Village Allows Leaf Burning
The village allows burning of leaves, but it is limited to the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and only on the second and fourth weekends in the months of September, October and November only.
Please be sure that conditions are not such that would cause the burning to get out of control. To prevent road damage and expensive repair no burning is permitted on the streets or in the swales.
South Elgin
Senior/Large Lot Leaf Pick Up Program
Curbside, unbagged leaf pickup is provided to households owned and/or occupied by senior citizens (age 65 or older) who are currently enrolled in the Senior Credit Program and to owners/occupants of residential lots larger than one acre.
Leaves are collected by the contractor on Mondays from Sept. 1 through Dec. 15 or the first snow fall.
Residents should be aware that the program only applies to leaves generated on a qualifying lot and staff will monitor the program for compliance in this regard. If the village determines that non-site generated leaves have been placed on an eligible lot, the residence will be removed from the program until such time as the leaves have been removed or bagged in an appropriate manner.
Leaf pick-up must be scheduled in advance by contacting the Administrative Services Department at 847-742-5780 by noon the Friday before the pick up week.
St. Charles
St. Charles Leaf Collection Begins Oct. 28
Check the 2019 Leaf Collection Schedule below for schedule and availability.
Leaves must be on the parkway by 6:30 a.m. on your area’s designated day even though it may take several days to pick up the piles in your specific area.
This program is funded by a portion of the fee collected on the utility bills of eligible homeowners. Check your utility bill or call Utility Billing at 630-377-4426 with questions about your eligibility for this program.
Pick up is unavailable for the following subdivisions/areas:
- Cumberland Green
- Whittington Course, Royal Fox private streets, Dunham Place Commons, Delnor Townhomes, Delnor Glen Drive
- Townes of Fox Chase
- Walnut Hill Townhomes
- Viewpointe
- Willowgate
- Wildrose Springs Townhomes, Auburn Court, Benham Court, Oak Crest
Sugar Grove
Paper Bag Yard Waste Pickup
Yard waste — which includes leaves — is collected weekly April 1 through the last refuse pickup in November. All yard waste must be placed in biodegradable paper bags or in a rigid container no larger than 32 gallons, clearly marked Yard Waste.
Leaf Burning Rules
Open burning of leaves, diseased trees, and tree debris must:
- Only occur on the premises on which they are generated.
- Occur between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on sunny days only.
- Be completely extinguished after 3 p.m.
- Occur only with a wind speed of less than ten miles per hour.
- Not occur during inversion conditions or ozone alert day. To see weather conditions, visit the Kane County Environmental Health Services website at kanehealth.com/Pages/Air-Quality.aspx or check your local weather forecast.
- Use only dry materials.
- Be supervised at all times by an adult until the fire is extinguished.
- Have available within ten feet of the burning material a fire extinguisher, garden hose or water source.
- Not occur in any public right of way.
- Not occur within 20 feet of any building, structure, right of way or property line.
Click here for more information.
West Dundee
The village’s annual Leaf Collection Program will begin on the week of Oct. 15 and continue until approximately Nov. 30, weather depending.
Please rake leaves into the street approximately one foot from the curb. Be sure the pile consists of leaves only, and is free of sticks, rocks and other debris that will damage leaf collection equipment.
Read More
Let The Raking Begin! Kane County Communities Leaf Collection Roundup 2018
