West Hartford Leaf Bag Collection Gets Underway

The following information was provided by West Hartford Department of Public Works:

The Town of West Hartford's curbside bagged leaf collection program commenced on Monday, and will continue for the next 10 weeks, weather permitting, through Friday, Dec. 21.

Bagged leaves must be at the curb, not in the street, by 6 a.m. on your refuse collection day. Leaf bags will be collected each week on your refuse collection day with the exception of Thanksgiving week, when the Thursday and Friday refuse collection areas will be one day late.

Bio-degradable 30-33 gallon leaf bags are the only bags that will be collected. In addition, bags weighing over 60 pounds or bags contaminated with trash, rocks, grass and dirt will not be collected. These bags will be marked with an "X" and will no longer be eligible for curbside collection.

As you bag your leaves, please place them at the curb to take advantage of crews getting ahead of schedule. During the previous two collection seasons there were very few days that crews did not work ahead of schedule. Placing your leaf bags out in advance of your collection day will help crews to stay on schedule by making leaf bags available for collection in other refuse collection areas.

If you plan to use a landscape company to remove your leaves, your leaves are eligible to be dumped at no charge at the Town's Recycling Center if you provide a signed, leaf disposal voucher to your contractor. Please go to the Leaf Voucher Program web page and print out and complete the leaf voucher form. Hard copies of the voucher are also available to residents at the Town Hall Customer Service Desk located at 50 South Main Street (between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) and at the Department of Public Works office located at 17 Brixton Street (between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.).

You must sign and date a voucher form for each load of your leaves that your contractor delivers to the Town Recycling Center. This will verify that it is your leaves being disposed and will prevent the town from being charged for the disposal of leaves from non-residential locations.

West Hartford reimburses Envirocycle, the operator of the Recycling Center, at 50 percent of Envirocycle's commercial rate when leaf voucher forms are submitted.

Residents may also drop off leaves at the Recycling Center located at 25 Brixton Street. Leaves may be delivered loose or in bags. Plastic bags must be emptied out and taken home to be re-used or disposed of in the trash. Use of the recycling center requires an annual permit. Visit the Public Works website for further information about permits.

The Recycling Center hours during leaf collection season are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday hours, beginning Saturday, Oct. 20 through Saturday, Dec. 15, are from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

If you have questions, more information is available from several sources: by visiting the Department of Public Works Leaf Collection web page, by viewing WHC-TV channel 5 on your cable television system, by calling the 24-hour leaf collection line at 860-561-7954 or by contacting the Department of Public Works (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at 860-561-8100.