It’s leaf-raking season, and town residents have several options for disposing of leaves in their yard:
1 - RAKING LEAVES TO THE CURB FOR LEAF COLLECTION
The Town’s loose leaf collection equipment operates from November through December. Additional collections may be scheduled in January if necessary, and again in April for spring clean-up. The collection runs on a scheduled route through the Town as weather permits (a.k.a. not raining or snowing). Leaves raked to the curb are collected without the need to bag, and many residents enjoy this bag-free option. If you wish to schedule your leaf raking close to when the leaf vacuum truck will be in your area, determine what section you are in and have your leaves at the curb by the dates shown below:
Section A - west of railroad tracks – November 7 and December 5
Section B - east of railroad tracks to west of US Route 1 – November 15 and December 13
Section C - east of US Route 1 – November 4 and December 2
For loose leaf collection, please note the following:
-Actual collection of your leaves may be several days after the dates listed, depending on weather and other factors.
-When raking your leaves, please avoid raking leaves into the street, the gutters, or drainage ditches.
-Be sure that the leaf piles do not contain twigs, limbs, or other heavy objects that may damage the leaf collection equipment or/and delay the collection of your leaves.
-If at all possible, please refrain from parking on the street when leaf collection is scheduled to take place in your area. This will assist the street crews in their leaf collection efforts and will help to protect your car from the dust and debris generated by the leaf collecting equipment.
2 - BAGGING LEAVES FOR BRUSH COLLECTION
For those who wish, another option is to bag your leaves and set them out to be collected as brush. This is a recommended choice for those who do not wish to wait for leaf collection by the vacuum truck. Although special requests for loose leaf pickup cannot be honored, collection of bagged leaves can be requested by selecting Brush Collection Request on our Website’s Request Tracker (a.k.a. "Report a Concern"). Bagged leaves can often be collected in less than two weeks and usually within a few days.
In addition to these two options, other options include taking leaves to the Lewistown Road transfer station and mulching leaves. As Hanover residents, all Town residents have free access to the transfer station at Lewistown Road, where leaves can be taken. This option allows for disposal of leaves at any time without having to wait for collection by the leaf or brush crew. If you do not have an overly large amount of trees on your property, another good option is mulching your leaves back into the lawn with a mulching mower. This option could very well make raking leaves unnecessary altogether!
Residents are reminded that the burning of leaves is not allowed in the Town of Ashland. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Schöntag at 798-9219 or jschontag@town.ashland.va.us.