Town of East Hartford to Commence 2017 Leaf Collection
Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc and Public Works Director Tim Bockus announced that the Town’s annual curbside leaf collection program will begin on Monday, November 6, 2017. The program will feature a one-time vacuuming of leaves placed next to the edge of the road in piles. Leaves will be vacuumed Monday through Saturday from November 6th until all leaves are collected once along each street. A second collection pass may occur as weather permits.
The leaf collection program will commence on roads in the northwest corner of town in the area of Pitkin Street and then proceed north and east through the Burnham and Goodwin Street areas. Leaves will be vacuumed once along each street, weather permitting. Collection will proceed in a clockwise direction around town. There will be no leaf collection on two Town-observed holidays; Veterans Day, November 10, 2017 and Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2017.
The Department of Public Works will publish a weekly advisory map on the Town’s website. This map will show completed areas as well as the areas where leaf collection is anticipated the following week. Residents will note that these maps are tentative and dependent on weather and the speed of collection and should not be considered a set collection schedule. Progress of the collection is weather dependent and will be affected by rain or snow. Snowfall before mid-December may cause a suspension or cancelation vacuum leaf collection.
Town crews will also pick up leaves placed in biodegradable brown paper bags through December 15, 2017, weather permitting. Leaves in biodegradable brown paper bags will be collected weekly on the scheduled waste collection days. The use of the brown bags is strongly recommended as early snow may require suspension or cancelation of vacuum leaf collection until the spring.
Residents must have all of their bagged leaves at curbside by December 15, 2017 to ensure collection. Leaves in plastic bags will not be collected and bags with grass clippings, branches or other foreign matter will not be collected.
Residents may also bring their leaves to the Transfer Station on Ecology Drive. Bulky waste permits are not required for residents entering the Transfer Station with leaves only. Normal Transfer Station hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 7:15 A.M. to Noon and 12:30 to 2:45 P.M. and on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 8:00 A.M. to 1:45 P.M. The Transfer Station will also be open on Saturday, November 11 and Saturday November 25 for residents to drop-off loose leaves or leaves placed in biodegradable paper bags. Leaves in plastic bags will not be accepted.
The progress of the leaf collection program will be available on the Public Works 24 hour information telephone line, 860-291-7374, or by calling the Highway Services Division at 860-291-7371, Monday through Friday between 7:30 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Frequent updates and progress mapping will also be posted on the Public Works website.