Missoula City Leaf Collection Begins November 3

Press release from the City of Missoula:

November 2, 2020

City leaf collection begins Nov. 3 and is scheduled to run through November 29, weather permitting. Crews will start downtown and south of the river, west of Orange St. (Special District 1) and north of the Clark Fork River (Area 1) during the first week. Those neighborhoods include the Rattlesnake Valley and Grant Creek, along with the majority of the north side of downtown and the West Side and North Side areas.

After the first week, crews move to central Missoula south of the river (Area 2) and throughout the city through Nov. 29. Please see the entire schedule and map flyer on the City’s website at http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/504/Leaf-Collection..

Citizens are also welcome to take their leaves to Garden City Compost at no charge. This is for leaves only. Loads with branches and other tree or yard debris will be charged regular prices. Please see Garden City Compost’s web page at http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/2089/Garden-City-Compost or call 552-6619 for more details.

City crews depend on citizens to make leaf collection work.

• Please rake leaves to the curbs but not out into the bike lanes or driving lanes. Make piles long and narrow.
• Please complete raking before your pickup week starts. Crews may visit your street on the first day. They will then move on through the area.
• When parking, please allow room for Street Division crews to get to leaf piles with loaders and trucks. See the flyer for parking instructions for Special Districts during leaf collection.
• Leaves only, please. Debris and limbs delay leaf pickup and can damage equipment.
• Trees must be pruned to a minimum of 14 feet over the street to the inside edge of the curb line. If your trees do not meet this requirement, they may have to be trimmed by City crews to complete leaf collection.
• Leaf collection is followed by street sweeping as weather permits.

If snowfall disrupts the schedule, crews will be diverted to plow snow but will return to leaf collection as soon as possible. Updates to the schedule will be posted on the City of Missoula website at http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/504/Leaf-Collection and the Missoula Water/Public Works Facebook page.

Leaf collection benefits everyone by removing leaves and recycling them at Garden City Compost, the City compost operation. The program has four main goals: 1) keep city streets clean, 2) help save space at the local landfill, 3) save residents the cost and hassle of bagging leaves, and 4) further Missoula’s recycling efforts by helping turn leaves into compost for local use.

If you miss your neighborhood’s scheduled pickup time, please call the Street Maintenance Division at 552-6360 to be placed on a list for another collection time, as weather permits, after all areas are completed.

This press release was produced by the City of Missoula. The views expressed here are the author’s own.