The Streets Department’s 2014 Philly Leaf and Recycling Program will kick off on November 10 and will run through December 19. During the six-week program, leaves will be collected for composting purposes, such as fertilizing gardens and nourishing trees.

There will be changes in the way leaves are collected for recycling this year, according to an announcement by the Streets Department. Bagged leaves will no longer be collected curbside. Instead, residents can drop them off at specially designated locations throughout the city. Here are the bagged leaf collection locations in West and Southwest Philadelphia area (open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays from Nov. 10 through Dec. 19):

• 66th & Haverford Avenue
• 54th & Woodbine Avenue
• 43rd & Powelton Avenue
• 72nd & Buist Avenue

Bagged leaves may also be taken to any of the four Sanitation Convenience Centers (visit the Streets Department website for more information).

Another requirement for recycling is that bagged leaves will only be accepted in biodegradable paper bags because they can be processed for recycling along with the leaves. The Streets Department doesn’t provide biodegradable bags, but you can purchase them at your local home improvement or hardware store. 

Since there will be no curbside collection of bagged leaves for recycling, leaves set out curbside will be collected as trash.

The Streets Department will also provide mechanical leaf collection this year as a supplement to bagged collections in areas that have a heavy accumulation of leaves. Leaf blowers, mechanical sweepers, and leaf loaders will be used for leaf collection by mechanical collection crews.

Here are the guidelines and schedule for mechanical leaf collection:

All leaves should be raked and ready for collection by 7:00 a.m. the day of mechanical collection. Rake leaves into the street by the curb’s edge (piling is not necessary). If possible, move your vehicle to an off-street parking location on your scheduled collection day, so crews can remove leaves along the curb line. Residents in mechanical areas can also drop-off bagged leaves. After the mechanical collection, please sweep and bag any remaining leaves and place them out for the weekly rubbish collections.

Mechanical collection crews will visit routes only once. Residents are urged to sweep and bag any remaining leaves and take them to any of the drop-off locations, or set out for collection on trash day.

Mechanical leaf collection in West and Southwest Philadelphia will take place on November 17-21 in the following areas:

Monday, Nov 17

72nd to 66th Streets, from Malvern Avenue to City Line Avenue
66th to 63rd Streets, from Malvern Avenue to City Line Avenue

Tuesday, Nov 18

63rd to 58th Streets, from Upland Way to City Line Avenue

Wednesday, Nov 19

58th to 54th Streets, from Upland Way to City Line Avenue
Wynnefield Avenue to Columbia Avenue, from 54th Street to Parkside Avenue

Thursday, Nov 20

54th to 49th Street, from Wynnefield Avenue to City Line Avenue
Belmont Avenue to Lenape Road, from City Line Avenue to Sorrento Street & Conshohocken Avenue

Friday, Nov 21

Ford Road to Conshohocken Avenue, from Monument Road to Falls Road
38th to 52nd Street, from Baltimore Avenue to Spruce Street

If you need assistance please call the Streets Department’s Customer Affairs Unit at 215-686-5560, visit their website at www.philadelphiastreets.com or call 3-1-1 for all City services.

UPDATE: University City District collects bagged leaves (preferably packed in plastic bags) for 
processing at The Dirt Factory. Please email: compost@universitycity.org to arrange pickup. For more information, visit: universitycity.org/dirt-factory