Fall into Leaf Cleanup in New Canaan

Got rakes? With the sunny weekend, New Canaan residents can get a jump start on leaf cleanup because beginning Monday, Oct. 27, town Departmet of Public Works vacuum trucks will pick up leaves raked to curbside by homeowners in those areas of town zoned for building lots of one acre or less.

In those areas, rake all of your leaves into the curb. Don’t put leaves in plastic bags or mix them with brush or debris. The leaves are recycled into garden compost so they must be free of foreign matter. Debris or sticks will clog the vacuum trucks causing breakdowns and delays. Leaves must be in a windrow, not in a pile.

Residents in the 2- or 4-acre zones of town are requested to compost the leaves on their own property. Vacuum trucks will not collect in those areas.

Yard maintenance contractors must have proper forms (available at Highway Department office) signed by New Canaan residents before they can dispose of leaves at the composting area, located across from the Waveny entrance on Lapham Road. Residents also may deposit their leaves at that location. It is important to note that contractors will be screened to be sure that the leaves originate in New Canaan. Anyone found violating this policy will be suspended from using the facility for an appropriate period of time as determined by the Director of Public Works. .

Composted material is usually made available to local residents for use in their gardens to enrich their soil, the following spring.

The composting site will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during normal working days (call 203-594-3704 for more specific information). Leaves may be raked to curbside until Monday, Nov 24. Leaves put out after that date will not be collected by the Highway Department, however, the leaf composting site will be available through Friday, Dec. 5.

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