UPDATE — Jan. 27: The town has extended the collection of loose leaves to Feb. 13 due to the winter weather.

If you want your loose leaves collected by the town, rake them to the street soon.

The Town of Hillsborough’s seasonal collection of loose leaves will end Feb. 13 and resume in November. Leaves placed by the street by Feb. 13 will be collected for all routes regardless of the route’s regular service day.

Here are a few reminders for the final weeks of loose-leaf collection:

• Place loose leaves within 4 feet of the curb for collection. No work order is required.
• Ensure leaf piles are free of limbs and debris, which can clog the truck’s vacuum.
• Place leaf piles where they do not interfere with traffic or water drainage, cover water meters or block sidewalks or fire hydrants.
• Limit biodegradable bags to 10 per week per household. The bags may be used year-round for pickup on brush collection days.

For more information, watch the loose leaf collection video.

Bagged Collection

For collection during the months of February-October, leaves must be placed in biodegradable bags. Pickup is on brush collection days, which is the same as the garbage collection day for most homes. See Collection Days on the Garbage Collection page.

Households are limited to collection of 10 bags per week. Bags should follow the guidelines above regarding placement and should be free of trash and other debris.

Alternatives

Additionally, you can consider leaving your leaves in place or composting or mulching them. Composting or mulching leaves allows the nutrients to be recycled into the soil and is environmentally better for soil enrichment than processed fertilizer. 

For more information about options for managing fallen leaves, see:

• Managing Fallen Leaves page, which includes information about leaving your leaves.
• Leave the Leaves video.