Leaf Collection Details Announced In Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The city of Middletown will begin its fall leaf collection program at the end of October, officials announced this week.

Leaves will be collected from the curb and brought to a central location for composting.

Due to leaf collection operations, bulk waste collection, in all areas of the city, except the Sanitation District, will be suspended after Oct. 18, according to officials. Payment for curbside bulk pickups must be received by this date to get on the list. Curbside bulk pickups are always suspended during leaf collection season, to allow the trucks to be used for leaf collection, officials said.

After leaf collection season, bulk pickup is only available on a weather permitting basis until the snow season ends.

Residents can rake their leaves to the curb or bag their leaves in biodegradable paper bags and leave them at the curb for collection. Do not use plastic bags. Leaves in plastic bags will not be collected.

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.
• Leaves will NOT be accepted in plastic bags of any sort.

“It is very important that residents make sure leaves do not get raked onto the street,” officials wrote in a news release. “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.

“There is no daily or weekly schedule for the leaf collection in Middletown. Crews will circulate throughout the City at least twice. If your leaves are not raked to the curb for the first round through, they will be back. We recommend you rake them to the curb as soon as possible.

“If you do not want leaves sitting on your lawn or blowing around, 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 from 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and every Saturday through the month of November from 7 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Beginning Dec. 1, the Recycling Center will be open on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 7 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

“Residents can also choose to compost their own leaves in their backyard,” officials said. “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 or kim.orourke@middletownct.gov.