2023 Leaf Collection Begins Wednesday, November 1st | The City of Lakewood, Ohio
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2023 Leaf Collection Begins Wednesday, November 1st

October 16, 2023

The City of Lakewood will begin collecting loose leaves on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and will continue through Friday, December 15, 2023, weather permitting.  Prior to November 1st, limited bulk leaf collections may occur weather permitting. Leaves can also be placed in paper yard/leaf bags (no plastic bags) and set out on your regular refuse and recycling collection day.

Limited bulk leaf collection may occur after December 15th if weather conditions warrant an extension of leaf collection.

Due to the large volume of leaves on Clifton Boulevard and Lake Avenue, there will be additional pick-ups for those streets.

Residents should always place leaves out as soon as possible to ensure collection. The number of citywide collections will be weather dependent. Our goal is to make at least three passes through the entire city.

For daily leaf collection schedule updates, check out the leaf collection map. Beginning November 1st, the map will show the streets that have been collected as the crews move west to east making the entire pass through the city. The map is updated at the end of each collection day showing what streets have been collected.

In order to maximize efficiencies and enhance collection efforts, residents are asked not to park cars on the street while crews are collecting leaves from 8am to 4pm. Parked cars hamper leaf collection efficiency, and some leaf material may get stuck under and around parked cars. If large leaf piles are blocked by parked cars, individual no parking signs will be posted and there will be an attempt to collect them at a later date – cars may be towed if necessary, after posting.

Certain streets have been identified that are typically loaded with parked cars on the street that significantly slow the overall citywide leaf collection process. Those streets (25 total) will be posted for no parking on a specific day of the week through the entire duration of leaf season. Leaves will be collected on the car-park side of those streets on their specifically posted day each week of leaf season – weather permitting. Vehicles may be towed, if necessary.

Leaves on all streets will be collected with vacuum equipment. This effort will allow leaves to be collected more efficiently and it will also reduce the amount of leaf material that ends up in the city’s storm sewers and limit damages to tree lawns and street surfaces. NOTE: All leaves must be raked to a point no farther than 6-feet from the curb for the vacuum tube to reach for collection.

DO NOT rake leaves into the street; it will slow the collection process, may block or back-up storm drains and may cause basement flooding during heavy rains.

Please do not contaminate the leaves with trash or other yard waste such as branches, sticks, plastic bags or old potted plants – they will clog or damage the leaf collection equipment and slow the collection process.

There will be no leaf collection on November 23rd and 24th due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  If you have any questions, please call (216) 529-6810 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.