Rather than waiting up to eight weeks to set out bagged leaves on their scheduled Extra Trash Collection (ETC) day, residents can bring them to LeafDrop sites for free. Leaves set out for ETC or in trash carts are sent straight to the landfill, but leaves brought to LeafDrop are composted.
Weekday sites will be open to Denver residents from Monday, Oct. 5 through Friday, Dec. 4. Weekend drop-off sites are also scheduled to open for three consecutive weekends starting October 31st.
We are asking residents to use paper bags whenever possible. Unlike plastic bags, brown paper bags can be composted along with the leaves, which makes the LeafDrop program more efficient, saves time, and significantly reduces plastic waste. Most importantly, brown paper bags are safer for our employees to handle at drop sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents can get a free 5-pack of paper leaf bags at participating Denver-area Ace Hardware stores. The coupon is included on the Denver Recycles website.
Additionally, we are asking that you remind residents not to sweep or rake leaves into the streets, as City ordinance prohibits it and doing so can cause extensive drainage problems in neighborhoods.