Upper Merion Township offers an annual curbside leaf collection. During leaf collection season:
- Leaves are collected twice per zone.
- Leaves and bags must be placed curbside by the Monday of the scheduled week of pick-up.
- If you still have leaves after the second scheduled collection, please place the leaves in a biodegradable paper bag and transport them to the Compost Site for processing.
Highway staff will be utilizing the front-end loader with the claw bucket to collect leaves in certain areas of each zone. If the claw does not completely remove the leaves in your area during the first scheduled pickup, staff will be returning for the second scheduled pickup using the heavy duty vacuum in all zones to collect the leaves (weather permitting). The Public Works Department asks that you please be patient, as staff are working diligently to remove as much leaf debris as quickly as possible before the impacts of winter weather.
As stated in the “Guidelines” below, the leaves are composted into mulch provided free to the residents of Upper Merion Township.
After Leaf Collection season has come to an end, staff are charged with the responsibility of converting the leaf collection trucks into snow and ice maintenance trucks for the winter weather conditions.
In the event of inclement weather (snow, sleet and/or ice) occurs during leaf collection season, equipment used to remove leaves will be converted to handle the inclement weather and adjustments will be made to the Leaf Collection Program.
Guidelines
For more than 40 years, the Upper Merion Township Public Works Department annual leaf collection program has collected more than 1,500 tons of leaves each year and composts them on a five-acre site on West Beidler Road. The resulting mulch is provided free to residents. The composting program is completely natural and no chemicals are involved.
Residents may deposit their leaves directly at the Compost Site between 7:00AM and 3:00PM on weekdays, 8:00AM to 4:00PM on Saturdays, and 12:00PM to 4:00PM on Sundays.
Weather permitting, there will be a final sweep of all neighborhoods in December after the scheduled pick-ups.
Procedures
- To be collected, leaves must be raked to the curb or be in biodegradable paper (not plastic) leaf bags along your curb. Paper bags are available at your local home center
- Leaves and bags must be curbside on the Monday of the scheduled week of pick-up. Township employees and equipment are not permitted on private property for collections
- Leaves or bags will not be collected if leaves contain sticks, stones, or other debris
- Leaf piles can be two feet wide and should not block stormwater drains
- Keep stormwater drains, inlets, roadways, and sidewalks free from leaf piles
- Keep trees trimmed to 11 feet above edge of pavement to allow for the passage of collection trucks
- Leaf and grass burning are prohibited
Leaf Collection Schedule
View the 2022 Leaf Collection Schedule
