Eugene’s Leaf Program Provides Many Benefits
Eugene’s leaf collection program is a stormwater-funded activity that has been available to Eugene citizens since the late 1960s. The program goals are to prevent localized street flooding caused by leaves clogging gutters, catch basins and storm drains, and to protect water quality by removing leaves that otherwise would decay in waterways and lower oxygen levels in aquatic habitats.
Public Works crews collect leaves in every Eugene neighborhood twice between November and January. The city is divided into zones, allowing the leaf collection crews to move through the city an orderly fashion. Once the leaves have been picked up, street sweepers follow the leaf collection crews to ensure that the drainage system remains free of small debris particles.
Leaf Collection Totals
Collecting leaves from the community is a big job! Public Works crews can pick up anywhere up to 17,000 cubic yards of leaves a year (a cubic yard is about the size of a washing machine). Staff deliver clean leaves to homes upon request and to community gardens. Anything left over is taken to local recycling companies. Leaves are not taken to local landfills.
For the November 2022-January 2023 leaf season, our crews picked up 11,685 cubic yards of leaves and delivered 55% to private properties/homes, 33% to community gardens, and 12% to commercial recyclers. Thank you to everyone who supports this program!
