The Department of Public Works (DPW) will provide leaf collection service from November 7, 2022 through January 28, 2023 to residents who receive our trash and recycling services. Every 10 years, the District of Columbia government is required to redraw Ward boundaries. Please review your ward map as the boundary may have changed since last year.  

District households serviced by DPW are asked to rake leaves into the tree box (or at the curb in front of their home where there is no tree box) on the Sunday of the week of their scheduled collection.

The rate at which leaves fall is based on cool, dry temperatures. As the weather becomes cooler, more leaves will fall. This year’s changes to our leaf collection schedule will allow us to collect when most leaves have fallen. Residents will still receive two leaf collection pickups. The first pass for leaf collection will occur when fallen leaf accumulation is lighter, for one week in each section. The second pass will be for two weeks in each section when fallen leaf accumulation is heavier. 

The leaf collection schedule can be disrupted by weather events and/or personnel changes. Each time snow or freezing rain and ice is forecasted, our DC Snow Team hits the streets to salt and pre-treat roads. This necessitates switching our equipment and crews from leaf collection duties to snow duties, which unfortunately causes delays. 

If your street is not collected on schedule, please call 311 (202-737-4404) or visit 311.dc.gov to open a “Leaf Collection Missed” service request for a collection that has been missed for five or more days. Be sure to sign up for the MyDPW app by downloading it on Apple and Android platforms to check when our crews will collect on your street. 

DPW will not collect leaves on the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays. Residents should place their leaves in the tree box or at the curb during holiday weeks and DPW will extend the collection week until the following Saturday. Residents can also bring leaves in paper bags to the Benning Road Transfer Station located at 3200 Benning Road, NE, Washington, DC, from Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Did you know leaves can clog storm drains, cause street flooding, and eventually pollute the Chesapeake Bay and other local waterbodies? Proper leaf collection and disposal are important practices that help make our rivers and streams healthy.