Leaf season, which started in November, is coming to an end. Residents who receive service from the City of Sacramento must place their final leaf piles in the street by Monday, Jan. 23, to be picked up by “the Claw.”
With Sacramento experiencing multiple storms in recent weeks, many residents are placing an increased amount of debris in their piles. The City’s Recycling and Solid Waste Division continued its regular curbside collections during the extreme weather, but the additional amounts of yard refuse — including downed limbs and branches — has had an impact.
“We ask our customers to please be patient, as stormy weather tends to delay collections,” said Jesa David, spokesperson for Recycling and Solid Waste. “Residents can help by filling their organic waste containers first and keeping piles consolidated and away from storm drains.”
Below are tips for residents who are wondering what to do with excess debris from the recent storms.
- Please fill your organic waste container (including branches and stumps) first before making a pile.
- Branches must be cut into pieces that are three feet in length or less.
- Place tree stumps that do not fit in the container in a separate pile, away from leaves and branches.
- Piles should not obstruct water flowing to storm drains.
- Piles should not be larger than four feet by four feet by nine feet (4’ x 4’ x 9’) per household, however, the City is temporarily making exceptions for larger piles with the current storm conditions. If your pile exceeds the requirements, please make another, separate pile.
- Please keep piles out of bike lanes whenever possible.
Residents with large downed trees or an excessive amount of debris, as well as those who do not receive leaf season service from the City, can do the following:
- Work with a landscaping service or a commercial hauler to clear the extra debris.
- Contact a tree removal service.
- Contact one of the regional facilities listed here to see if they are accepting tree debris from the public at this time and self-haul the material to the facility.
Residents should check their collection calendar regularly as collection days may change. Find more information on leaf season at SacLeafSmart.org.
Please report fallen trees and limbs blocking public rights-of-way by contacting customer service at 3-1-1 (916-264-5011 outside City limits) or by using the City’s 311 website.
Since November, City crews have completed six citywide leaf collections and collected more than 12,000 tons of material for recycling.