Road crews from Concord General Services have been making great progress collecting leaves for the City’s bulk leaf collection program and have already collected 858 tons of leaves as of November 18.
Bulk leaf collection started on November 1, with three crews starting in different areas of the city. Crew one started at Blossom Hill Cemetery and continues to move into the south end of the city, crew two started on Elm Street in Penacook and is also continuing south, while crew three started on Manchester Street and worked their way up north on the east side of the river up to Fairview Drive and is now in the south end helping crew one.
Starting locations are alternated every year so that residents have more equal opportunity to receive collection. Residents that received a later collection last year receive collection earlier this year, and vice versa. View the Fall Leaf Collection Map on the City’s website to see what areas crews have collected. Zoom in on the map to view collection dates to get a general idea of the area crews are in.
Crews are focusing collection on residential areas within the City’s drainage system and will continue as weather permits through December 10. Crews can only come to areas once and are not able to return to areas already collected. It is uncertain when crews will reach certain areas for collection due to unpredictable leaf volumes at the curb and weather conditions. Residents are advised to have leaves ready to not miss collection.
Trackless leaf loaders are being used for bulk collection, which requires residents to rake leaves into the street to be reachable for collection. Residents are advised to keep leaves in a tight windrow along the curb or edge of pavement to keep streets clear and to refrain from on-street parking Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. until collection is complete to avoid blocking access to leaves. Avoid placing leaves in piles or around obstructions such as mailboxes, signs, fire hydrants, or poles.
Residents that have not yet received bulk collection are encouraged to pay close attention to the weather since bulk collection is weather dependent. If it snows, it is possible bulk collection could be suspended.
Residents that still have leaves are encouraged to participate in the City’s bagged leaf collection. Bagged leaf collection will begin on Monday, November 22 and will continue for three weeks for residents with curbside trash collection. Leaves must be in biodegradable yard waste bags or rigid containers labeled for leaves. Bagged leaf collection will not necessarily coincide with trash collection like it does in the spring. It is possible that leaves could be collected before or after a resident’s scheduled trash day. For this reason, leaves must be at the curb by 7 a.m. each Monday on November 22, November 29, and December 6 to be ready for collection at any time during the week.
Bagged leaf collection provides three separate weeks of guaranteed collection. Unlike bulk leaf collection, weather conditions will not suspend bag collection. However, residents are encouraged to be proactive and bag leaves ahead of any anticipated snow storms if necessary to avoid snow cover.
The City of Concord introduced the fall bagged leaf program in 2018 to provide a guaranteed alternative to bulk collection with more predictability.
Alternative methods for leaf disposal include mulching leaves into the lawn, bringing them to a local accepting farm, or dropping them off at Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center (free with proof of residency).
Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center is located at 10 Intervale Road, off Fort Eddy Road, and is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday hours are available from 8 a.m. to Noon on November 21 and December 5. No Saturday hours on November 28 due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Hours are weather permitting and should be confirmed by calling ahead.
Visit www.concordnh.gov/leafcollection for more information about Concord’s Fall Leaf Collection, including collection maps and frequently asked questions.
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