City Leaf Collection Begins on October 25

The City of Middletown will begin its fall leaf collection program on Monday, October 25, 2010.    

Leaves will be collected from the curb and brought to a central location for composting.

Due to leaf collection operations, bulk waste collection, which is available for $75/pick up will be suspended from Oct. 22 until Jan. 1^st.  

Residents may rake their leaves to the curb or bag their leaves in biodegradable bags and leave them at the curb for collection.  Leaves must be kept separate from brush, grass and rubbish.  Only leaves are acceptable with the leaf collection.  Public Works crews will be operating during the next two months to pick up the leaves in vacuum trucks.

Guidelines for Middletown Leaf Collection

            ·            Leaves can be raked to the curb and left loose or can be bagged and left at

the curb for collection with vacuum trucks.

            ·            For safety reasons, leaves should not be placed on the road.

            ·            Leaves must not be mixed with other yard waste, such as brush or garbage.

It is very important that residents make sure leaves do not get raked onto the street.  It is extremely dangerous if children decide to play in leaf piles or if cars park on top of the piles.  Also, leaves in the street can clog catch basins, causing flooding and other difficulties.

During leaf collection season, the bulk waste collection will be suspended until Jan. 1^st 2011. Payments for bulk waste must be made before Oct. 22^nd.

Leaves can also be brought directly to the Recycling Center on the corner of North Main Street and Johnson Street.  If leaves are bagged, they must be emptied out of the bags at the Center.  A resident’s pass must be obtained to use the Recycling Center.  The pass can be obtained from the Department of Public Works in the Municipal Building upon presentation of the vehicle registration.  The Recycling Center is open Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Saturday through the month of November from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Beginning December 4, the Recycling Center will be open on the first and third Saturday of the month from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Residents can also choose to compost their own leaves in their backyard.  Backyard composting is an easy way to recycle leaves and make valuable compost that can be used in gardens, flowerbeds and houseplants.  For information on backyard composting, contact the City Recycling Coordinator, Kim O’Rourke, at 860-344-3526.