Baltimore DPW crews will soon begin leaf collection services

Penelope Blackwell, The Baltimore Sun
·2 min read

Although recycling services around Baltimore remain halted, the Department of Public Works announced this week that leaf pickup services will soon be available.

Residents can call 311 to schedule pickups of up to 20 bags of leaves on Mondays, from Oct. 26 to Jan. 4. and officials are recommending they take that route for leaf removal. Waste crews will still collect up to five bags of leaves from residences on regularly scheduled trash collection days.

Calls or online requests for special pickup must be made before 6 p.m. on Sundays to schedule collection for the following Monday.

“Citizens are encouraged to avoid sweeping leaves into the streets, alleys, gutters or storm drains. Leaves should be bagged and set out for collection,” the department said in a release.

Baltimore halted recycling pickup in August due to staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus and high temperatures, diverting the workforce to trash collection instead.

Concentrating leaf pickup on Mondays will actually lessen the burden for the waste management crews, said John Chalmers, the head of the DPW’s Bureau of Solid Waste.

“It behooves us modify our collection schedule and decrease the amount of waste collected between Tuesday through Friday, by collecting more of the leaves on Mondays," Chalmers said.

Citizens have the option to make multiple appointments for up to two months prior to the pick-up date.

But residents may also drop off bagged leaves at one of the five Citizens' Convenience Center locations:

Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

Quarantine Road Sanitary Landfill, 6100 Quarantine Road

Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

Southwest Citizens' Convenience Center, 701 Reedbird Ave.

Eastern Citizens' Convenience Center, 6101 Bowleys Lane

Northwest Citizens' Convenience Center, 2840 Sisson St.

Open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Northwest Transfer Station, 5030 Reisterstown Road

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