Free leaf collection begins next week in Oswego
Pile leaves on the parkway by 7 a.m. Monday for your zone.
Each fall, the curbside leaf vacuum program provides Oswego residents with a way to dispose of leaves with no bagging or stickering required. Simply pile your leaves on your parkway. This cost-effective collection service is provided free to residents and costs the Village about $1.81 per household to tidy up around town before winter hits. Last year, crews cleared more than 240 truckloads of leaves.
This year's leaf collection program begins Monday, Oct. 14 and runs approximately through Friday, Dec. 6, or until major snowfall prohibits collection, whichever comes first. Exact collection dates vary by zone:
Zones 
- Zone A includes all properties west of the Fox River, Hunt Club subdivision, and all properties east of Fox Bend Golf Course and south of Route 34.
- Zone B includes all properties south of Wolf's Crossing, all properties south of Route 34 east of the Fox River and west of Route 71 (downtown Oswego), and all properties south of Route 71 excluding Hunt Club.
- Zone C includes all properties east of the Fox River and northwest of Route 34.
Scheduled Dates
Leaf collection dates are approximate and depend upon weather conditions. A rainy season or major snowfall may slow collection. Dates may be subject to change due to inclement weather, staffing, potential equipment issues, and the volume of leaves.
Village crews will collect leaves three times this season. Leaf collection is scheduled as follows:
- Zone A: Weeks of October 14, October 28, and November 18
- Zone B: Weeks of October 14, November 4, and November 25
- Zone C: Weeks of October 21, November 11, and December 2
Have your leaves piled on the parkway by 7 a.m. Monday on your zone's collection week to ensure collection.
Please note
No brush, grass clippings, tree limbs, vines, or trash will be collected. These materials can cause damage to Village equipment and can put the operator and residents in the area at risk of injury. Please remember:
- Leaves placed in the parkway after 7 a.m. will be picked up on the following scheduled week for your zone.
- Due to the tremendous scope of this work, leaves piled near an obstruction or obstructed by a parked vehicle will be skipped and will not be picked up until the next collection week.
- The bulk of the piles will be vacuumed up as crews go by your address. However, it is impossible for crews to collect 100 percent of all leaves.
- Keep leaves out of the curb line and street. Leaves in the street can cause hazardous driving conditions and flooding. See the photo above for proper placement.
- Leaf burning is prohibited at all times throughout the Village.
There is a very small window of opportunity to collect the leaves from the time they fall to when winter weather begins. Inclement weather or a large volume of leaves can alter the leaf pickup schedule. Once the leaves are snow-covered, the vacuum cannot collect the leaves and the program may be suspended.
Leaf Collection Alternatives - green ways to clean up red, orange and gold leaves
Consider using your leaves as free, all-natural fertilizer for your lawn and garden. Pound for pound, the leaves of most trees contain twice the mineral content of manure and they provide the perfect nutrition for beneficial microbes. Leave can be mulched into your lawn as you mow, used to insulate delicate roots from the cold winter, or shredded and mixed into your garden to enhance the soil. This valuable, natural fertilizer will reduce the need for chemical fertilizers next spring.
Backyard composting is also allowed and encouraged in the VIllage of Oswego.
Bagging and stickering
Miss the last leaf collection? Leaves can also be bagged, stickered, and collected as a part of the Village's Yard Waste program through Groot, until Friday, Nov. 29. For more information, check out the Brush, Leaves and Yard Waste page of the Village's website.
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