Middletown Commences Leaf Collection Program

The City of Middletown will begin its fall leaf collection program on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013.     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. 31^st  until March 2014.  The exact date of commencement of bulk waste pick up will be dependent upon the weather.

Residents may rake their leaves to the curb or bag their leaves in biodegradable paper bags and leave them at the curb for collection. Please do not use plastic bags.  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 at the curb for collection with  vacuum trucks.

·   Leaves can be placed in biodegradable paper bags and placed at the curb for collection

·   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.

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.   The Recycling Center is open Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.and every Saturday through the month of November from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Beginning December 7, 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 860-638-4855.