Concord General Services' Concord Fall Leaf Collection will be returning on October 28th with a change to its program again this year. Last year, changes were made to introduce bagged leaf collection to supplement curbside bulk collection. This year, the road crew that collects leaves in the south end will begin alternating their starting location, just like the crews in the north and east sides do each year.
Bulk Leaf Collection
Instead of starting at the Bow town line and working north, the south end crew will start at Blossom Hill Cemetery and work south this year. This change is being implemented this year after receiving feedback from residents in the south end requesting for a switch in the interest of fairness. The City carefully considered this suggestion and agrees it is the right thing to do to provide a more equal opportunity for residents. Bulk leaf collection is challenging because the first residents of collection often times aren’t able to put all of their leaves out to the curb, while the last residents of collection face the risk every year of the program being suspended due to the onset of early snow and weather conditions. Alternating the starting location provides a more fair and equitable solution for participation.
Bulk leaf collection consists of three crews collecting leaves raked loosely to the curb. Crews are stationed in different areas of the city and use leaf vacuums to collect leaves as they make their way through the city. This year, the first crew will start at Blossom Hill Cemetery and work south, the second crew will start on Elm Street in Penacook and work south, and the third crew will start on Manchester Street and work north on the east side of the river.
(Scroll through maps to see starting locations of all three crews)
View the Fall Leaf Collection Crew Sector Map to see a city-wide map of where crews plan to collect for bulk collection, focusing on the City's drainage system. Once collection starts, residents can view the Fall Leaf Collection Map to see where crews have finished collecting.
Bulk collection is dependent upon the weather and will continue as possible through December 6th. Due to unpredictable weather conditions and leaf volumes, crews can only come by locations once and will not be able to return to areas already collected. It is not possible to predict when crews will reach certain areas. The area near Concord High School is the only area with a scheduled collection day in coordination with the Veteran’s Day school closure. Residents in this area (view a map online) will have bulk collection on Monday, November 11th. This area is scheduled for collection on Veteran's Day each year to minimize public disturbance and in consideration of public safety.
Residents are encouraged to have leaves ready by the start of collection, but to also be prepared for weather. Snow could possibly suspend collection, like last year, so residents should be prepared. Residents are encouraged to participate in the bagged collection program (introduced last fall) to guarantee collection (especially as the weather changes). Thank you to residents that were proactive last year by bagging leaves ahead of anticipated snow storms!
Bagged Leaf Collection
Bagged leaf collection is returning for its second year on November 18th and will continue for three weeks through December 6th. The bagged program was well received last year by residents that elected to participate in the program. The program provides an alternative method for residents to dispose of leaves, while providing more predictability with a guaranteed weekly collection. Bagged collection is not weather dependent, unlike bulk leaf collection. Leaves must be placed in biodegradable yard waste bags and/or labeled rigid containers such as trash barrels. Leaves must be placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. each Monday during bagged collection, regardless of your trash collection day. Leaves will be collected by the City’s trash contractor, Casella, and will be collected separately from trash and recycling.
Alternative Options
Residents also have the option to bring leaves to a local accepting farm or Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center for free with proof of residency if the load is smaller than a non-commercial pick-up truck. Brush, branches, and limbs are not acceptable materials for the City’s leaf collection, but can be dropped off separately at Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center for a nominal fee. Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center is located at 10 Intervale Road, off Fort Eddy Road, and is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday hours will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on November 9th, 16th, 23rd, and December 7th (weather permitting).
An eco-friendly alternative is to mulch the leaves into your lawn by running over leaves with a lawn mower or mulching blade.
Provide Your Feedback
Bulk leaf collection does face some challenges, including: collecting leaves too early from an area before all the leaves have fallen, suspending collection before reaching all residents due to the onset of winter weather, and the uncertainty of when collection will occur due to unpredictable leaf volumes and weather conditions. However, many residents have expressed their appreciation for this program due to its convenience. Adding the bagged collection last year adds an additional service to address these challenges, while providing more predictability and opportunity for residents to participate in our program. Public feedback last year expressed the appreciation for this added bagged collection and proved it to be a success. Due to public feedback, more changes were made again this year to include the south end with starting location rotations. The south end will now begin to alternate their starting location each year, just like the north and east sides. This change will make bulk collection more fair and equitable for residents in the south end.
Submit a feedback form to share your thoughts about this year's change and the program.
More program information is available at www.concordnh.gov/leafcollection.
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