Leaf and Branch Collection

From April 7 through November 29, 2025, LRS collects residential yard waste weekly on residents’ regular garbage collection day. Please limit yard waste to: grass clippings, leaves, plant clippings, twigs, small branches and brush.

Guidelines:

• Place yard waste in 32-gallon containers with secure lids and handles, marked with a 12-inch red “X” on the bodies of the containers.
• Or, place in 2-ply yard waste paper bags.
• Do not place in plastic bags, cardboard boxes or regular garbage containers.
  (Those will not be collected.)
• When filled, yard waste containers and bags must not exceed 50 pounds.

Holiday trees can be recycled, weather permitting, from Jan. 6, 2025, through Jan. 10, 2025. Bare holiday trees (no decorations, lights, tinsel or plastic bags) should be left at the curbside before 7 a.m. on Jan. 6. If you miss this opportunity and are an LRS customer, they will pick up trees through Jan. 17, weather permitting. Bare holiday trees can also be disposed of in April when landscape waste pick-up begins. Trees frozen to the ground cannot be picked up.

LRS will collect bundled branches weekly on residents’ regular garbage collection day from April 7 through November 29, 2025. Debris (stumps), lumber and large amounts of tree material will not be collected. The collection of residential leaves is part of this yard waste program. April through November. Please see the "Yard Waste Collection" tab for more information. Branches should be:

• Less than 4 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length.
• Tied in a bundle with string or twine (no wire or plastic).
• Limit to 50 pounds (or less), or a total of 24 inches in diameter.

Note: Please contact a qualified tree service for appropriate debris removal.

Public Works will collect branch clippings monthly from May through September, one time per month per zip code, for a total of five collections.

Place branches on the parkway by 7 a.m. on the scheduled branch collection date for the corresponding zip code. It may take up to 2 weeks to collect each zone. Do not obstruct sidewalks or streets. Branches should be 2 feet or longer, cleanly cut (without roots), and smaller than six inches in diameter, with cut ends pointing to the curb. If branches are placed out late, incorrectly, or cannot be reached, collection will not be attempted again until the next month.

The 2026 branch collection schedule is:

The City’s residential bulk curbside leaf collection is separate from the refuse service’s weekly yard waste pick up. This seasonal in-house program provides residential leaf collection starting Monday, October 19, 2026 and continuing through early December, weather permitting. Weekly bagged leaf collection from April through November is part of the ongoing yard waste program provided by LRS. See the "Yard Waste Collection" tab for more information.

Leaf Placement in Streets

To participate in fall bulk curbside leaf collection, leaves need to be raked into the street by 6 a.m. on the scheduled pick-up date. Being careful to keep storm drains clear, residents are encouraged to position the leaves into one neat, continuous row, 1 foot (12 inches) from the curb.

Only leaves should be raked into the row (Please note: grass, branches, brush, rocks and other debris will not be collected). To accommodate curbside collection, street parking in posted areas is not allowed on the day of collection from 6:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Where the streets are not posted, residents should be considerate of their neighbors as well as the workers to ensure the success of this ongoing program.

Leaf Placement in Parkways

Residents living on the following streets should place leaves in the parkways, instead of the streets, to provide for safe parking and traffic flows:

• Algonquin Road
• Mount Prospect Road
• Ballard Road
• Northwest Highway
• Busse Highway
• Oakton Street
• Central Road
• Potter Road
• Dempster Street
• Rand Road
• East River Road
• River Road
• Elmhurst Road
• Thacker Street
• Golf Road
• Touhy Avenue
• Lee Street
• Mannheim Road
• Wolf Road

Leaf Pickup Days

Please note: The leaf pick up zone numbers are the same as the refuse pick up zone numbers (find your zone(PDF, 2MB)). However, the leaf pick up days are different than the refuse pick up days. Leaf pickup days are listed here:

Zone 1

• Oct. 22
• Oct. 29
• Nov. 5
• Nov. 12
• Nov. 18
• Nov. 25

Zone 2

• Oct. 23
• Oct. 30
• Nov. 6
• Nov. 16
• Nov. 23
• Dec. 2

Zone 3

• Oct. 20
• Oct. 27
• Nov. 3
• Nov. 10
• Nov. 19
• Nov. 30

Zone 4

• Oct. 21
• Oct. 28
• Nov. 4
• Nov. 13
• Nov. 20
• Dec. 1

Zone 5

• Oct. 19
• Oct. 26
• Nov. 2
• Nov. 9
• Nov. 17
• Nov. 24

Drop off at Public Works Facility from Monday, October 29, 2026 through Friday, December 18, 2026. Hours for drop off are between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Only leaves can be accepted during this time. Empty your containers in the designated area conveniently located on the north side of the Public Works facility at 1111 Joseph J. Schwab (Campground) Rd. Yard waste, such as grass clippings, branches, etc., should be placed curbside for yard waste disposal. To maintain the proper flow of stormwater, roadside ditches, gutters and sewers must remain clear of leaves.