Leaf/Thatch Collection
Services
The Village of Howard Public Works Department collects loose leaves and thatch in the spring and fall of each year. Approximate dates for Spring collection are from the first Monday in April through the third Friday in April. Approximate dates for Fall collection are from the third Monday in October through the third Friday of November (or when most leaves are gone or snow prevents further collection).
GUIDELINES:
- We collect plain leaves and lawn thatch only. Bagged leaves will not be collected. Other items we don't collect include grass clippings, root balls, sticks, branches, pumpkins, corn stalks, and other solid objects. These items will damage or plug the leaf vacuum equipment and delay leaf collection for everyone. Leaf piles co-mingled with other waste will not be collected.
- Leaves and lawn thatch should be raked next to the curb on the grass in long narrow rows. The rows should not be closer than four feet to any object that will prevent us from collecting your leaves. Leaves need to be within seven feet of the curb or edge of road in order to be collected.
- Please do not rake leaves into the street. This will plug storm inlets and pipes and may cause flooding. Leaves and grass entering inlets and storm sewers is bad for the environment as it adds phosphorus to water and causes algal blooms in streams, rivers, and lakes.
- Residents may drop off leaves, grass, sticks, branches, garden waste, and other organic compostable waste in the designated area at the Public Works Facility, located at 1336 Cornell Road. The site is available 24 hours per day throughout the year.
COLLECTION ROUTE ORDER:
The leaf collection map and completion dates shown at the bottom of this page will help you predict when we might be collecting leaves in your area and help you decide when to rake leaves to the curb. Here's how it works:
- You live in the zone that corresponds to your trash pickup day (Monday trash is Zone 1, Tuesday is 2 and so on).
- The order of collection is Zone 1 first, then Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4 and Zone 5. When one round is completed (Zones 1 through 5), another round of collection will start.
- Look for the zone number with the latest completed collection date below. Leaf collection will be occurring in the next sequentially numbered zone. Occasionally, we may jump one zone ahead due to garbage cans creating obstructions, and the following day we drop back to the scheduled leaf collection zone.
- It typically takes one or two weekdays to complete leaf collection in a single zone, assuming all three trucks are running.You can get an idea of our collection speed by noting the number of days in between completed dates in each zone.