Never miss collection day.

Get an alert on your phone or through email the evening before collection begins in your neighborhood. CRNewsNow — it’s how the City lets you know!

SIGN UP NOW!



Fall Loose Leaf Vacuum Collection | Oct. 5–Dec. 10

During the weeks leaves are collected in your quadrant, all leaves must be raked to the collection area by either 7 a.m. Mondays or 7 a.m. Wednesdays. If leaves are put out late , we cannot guarantee collection.

2020 Collection Schedule

Southeast (SE) Quadrant

Loose leaves will be collected on Mondays and Tuesdays. All leaves must be raked to the collection area by 7 a.m. on Monday. Collection days are scheduled for the weeks of:

Monday, October 5,

Monday, October 19,

Monday, November 2,

Monday, November 16, and

Monday, November 30.

Northeast (NE) Quadrant

Loose leaves will be collected on Mondays and Tuesdays. All leaves must be raked to the collection area by 7 a.m. on Monday. Collection days are scheduled for the weeks of:

Monday, October 12,

Monday, October 26,

Monday, November 9,

Monday, November 23, and

Monday, December 7.

Southwest (SW) Quadrant

Loose leaves will be collected on Wednesdays and Thursdays. All leaves must be raked to the collection area by 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Collection days are scheduled for the weeks of:

Wednesday, October 7,

Wednesday, October 21,

Wednesday, November 4,

Wendesday, November 18, and

Wednesday, December 2.

Northwest (NW) Quadrant

Loose leaves will be collected on Wednesdays and Thursdays. All leaves must be raked to the collection area by 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Collection days are scheduled for the weeks of:

Wednesday, October 14,

Wednesday, October 28,

Wednesday, November 11,

Wendesday, November 25, and

Wednesday, December 9.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, leaves will be collected on Wednesday, November 25 and Friday, November 27. Leaf collection will not occur on Thursday, November 26.

Should weather or un-characteristically heavy volumes delay collection, crews will use Fridays and Saturdays to complete the area they were working in before moving on.

If you are struggling to identify which day your leaves will be collected, please give the Solid Waste & Recycling Division a call at 319-286-5897.

Additional leaf collection options

YARDY Cart:

Customers can use their YARDY carts for the collection of leaves and other organic materials. YARDY carts are collected on a weekly basis throughout the year. Some customers have found that mulching leaves before placing in the YARDY cart increases the amount of material that will fit in the cart. There is a 300-pound weight limit for the 95-gallon YARDY cart.

Additional YARDY carts can be purchased for a one-time fee, which is added to your municipal utility bill. The additional YARDY cart is the property of the customer. For more information about purchasing additional YARDY carts, contact the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at (319) 286-5897.

Leaf Bags:

During fall and spring leaf vacuum collection periods, paper leaf bags can be used for any leaves that do not fit in your YARDY cart. Leaf bags will ONLY be picked up if they are placed at the curb with a filled YARDY cart. Each leaf bag must weigh less than 40 pounds.

Leaf Vacuum Program Basics



Rake leaves into long piles on the parking area or grass next to the street. Leaves must be kept out of the street. The vacuum truck will not collect leaves from alleys.

Keep leaf piles away from obstacles like your collection cart, mailboxes, cars and utility poles.

Please do not park cars in front of the leaf piles; the truck will not be able to collect the leaves.

Collect brush and branches to put in your YARDY cart for collection. Any brush that does not fit into your YARDY cart should be cut into 3-foot lengths and collected into secured bundles that do not exceed 2 feet in diameter or 40 pounds in weight.





Program Benefits

The leaf vacuum program helps keep our lakes, rivers, and streams healthy, while protecting the safety of our community. When large numbers of leaves enter the storm sewer, the nutrients from decaying leaves overwhelm and choke out aquatic life. The leaf vacuum truck program keeps leaves out the street, reducing the number of leaves swept into the storm sewer and the likelihood of street flooding due to plugged drains. Keeping leaves out the street also reduces the risks associated with kids playing in leaf piles.