Most trees in the City of Oaks are now bare, their leaves scattered across our yards, sidewalks, and streets. However, there are still plenty of options for dealing with your late winter leaves.
Bag your leaves - Place as many as 15 biodegradable paper bags at the curb for your yard waste pick-up day. As of 2023, Solid Waste Services stopped picking up yard waste in plastic bags. This ban decreases Raleigh’s plastic waste and helps yard waste crews to be more efficient. Along with yard waste, paper bags biodegrade quickly and are composted for three months at the Yard Waste Center.
Compost your leaves - Dead leaves are a great carbon source to balance the nitrogen from food scraps in your home compost. Creating your own nutrient-rich soil from food waste also allows you to save money on fertilizer.
Drop your leaves - Bring your leaves to the Yard Waste Center in paper bags, a truck bed, or trailer.
Leave your leaves - Not in the mood to rake and bag all your leaves? Leaving your leaves is actually ecologically beneficial! Use your leaf litter as mulch for your trees and plants; as they decompose, the leaves return valuable nutrients to the soil. Using leaf mulch also retains water, provides habitat for insects, and suppresses weeds.
Loose Leaf Collection - Raleigh's Transportation Department provides Loose Leaf Collection with specialized vacuum equipment that runs two passes through the city between November and February. Rake your leaves into a pile at the edge of your yard, not in the street. Please keep limbs, vines, rocks and trash out of leaf piles as they can damage the vacuum. Check what zone you live in to see when your leaves will be picked up during the second pass.
Yard Waste Cart - Place your leaves in your lime green yard waste cart to be emptied on your yard waste day. Find your service calendar on the Raleigh Reuse tool. Need another cart? You can order an additional yard waste cart for a one-time fee of $55 and a $2.00/month service fee.
