The City of Missoula will begin fall leaf pickup on Monday, Nov. 2, starting in the neighborhoods north of the Clark Fork River during the first week (Area 1). Those neighborhoods include the Rattlesnake Valley and Grant Creek, along with the majority of the north side of downtown and the West Side and North Side areas.
The schedule starts in older neighborhoods with mature trees and the highest volume of leaves with the expectation that Street Maintenance Division crews can return to those neighborhoods at the end of the season if weather permits.
After the first week in Area 1, crews move to central Missoula south of the river (Area 2) and throughout the city through Nov. 29. When leaf collection is disrupted by snow, crews make every attempt to revisit the neighborhoods. The printed version of this year’s leaf collection flyer will be inserted in the Missoulian newspaper October 21. See it on the City of Missoula website, along with other useful information, at http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/504/Leaf-Collection. The link to the map and schedule is at the top of the web page.
Leaf collection benefits everyone by removing leaves and recycling them at Garden City Compost, the City compost operation. The program has four main goals: 1) keep city streets clean, 2) help save space at the local landfill, 3) save residents the cost and hassle of bagging leaves, and 4) further Missoula’s recycling efforts by helping turn leaves into compost for local use.
City crews depend on citizens to make leaf collection work.
- Please rake leaves to the curbs but not out into the bike lanes or driving lanes. Make piles long and narrow.
- Please complete raking before your pickup week starts. Crews may visit your street on the first day. They will then move on through the area.
- When parking, please allow room for Street Division crews to get to leaf piles with loaders and trucks. See the flyer for parking instructions for Special Districts during leaf collection.
- Leaves only, please. Debris and limbs delay leaf pickup and can damage equipment.
- Trees must be pruned to a minimum of 14 feet over the street to the inside edge of the curb line. If your trees do not meet this requirement, they may have to be trimmed by City crews to complete leaf collection.
- Leaf collection is followed by street sweeping as weather permits.
If you miss your neighborhood’s scheduled pickup time, please call the Street Maintenance Division at 552-6360 to be placed on a list for another collection time, as weather permits, after all areas are completed. If snowfall disrupts the schedule, crews will be diverted to plow snow but will return to leaf collection as soon as possible. Updates to the schedule will be on the City of Missoula website and Facebook page.