Loose-leaf pickup begins in Raleigh for final year. What residents should know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Raleigh ends curbside loose-leaf pickup in 2026; weekly yard-cart service expands.
- City cites growth and cost to justify ending pickup after twice-yearly vacuum rounds.
- Residents face new obligations, increased private service demand and accessibility issues.
It’s that time of year again.
The city of Raleigh is picking up leaves. And people have complaints.
But this year, the conversation is less about when the city will pick up leaves and more about the city not picking them up next year.
Raleigh is ending its curbside, loose-leaf pick-up program, where leaves were vacuumed up from the yard of single-family homes twice a year each fall.
In 2026, residents will need to bag the leaves, put them in the lime green yard waste carts or leave them on the ground. The city will increase to weekly pick-up of ward waste.
“There is a well-documented frustration within the last 15 years,” said Steve Halsey, assistant transportation director, during an April City Council meeting. “I’ve been with the city 12 years and I have heard it loud and clear, and researching back to the ‘80s and ‘90s and seeing some of the same topics come up. ... As the city gets bigger, it becomes more and more challenging if you don’t add additional resources.”
Gary Waugaman moved to his north Raleigh home 38 years ago, in part because the city picked up loose leaves curbside.
“I don’t know what their thinking was to think this is a good thing for the city of oaks,” he said.
His home has many tall oak trees that drop mountains of leaves, he said. He’s previously used his backpack leaf blower and commercial blower to handle the leaves, but a hip replacement and several back surgeries have forced him to hire someone.
“It’s the labor involved,” he said. “For people who are disabled or are impaired in some way, shape or form, this is not a convenient thing to do. That’s all there is to it. They took away a service, and they didn’t reduce our taxes for this service.”
There haven’t been significant changes to the program since 2011, when the city had fewer streets and homes.
City leaders debated alternatives to the program, including beefing up staffing and trucks to meet demand. In 2022, that was estimated to cost $7.5 million the first year and another $2.1 million in operation costs, The News & Observer previously reported.
On average, the city collects nearly 65,000 cubic yards of leaves. That would cover the field at Carter-Finley Stadium to the top of the goal posts.
Leaf pick-up began this month, and the city estimates the first pass won’t be complete until January. The leaves are picked up by zone, with city residents asked to put their leaves out on a schedule.
Robert Davis is a handyman who picks up leaves several times a month during autumn. He’s already hearing from folks who might be interested in hiring him next year.
“I’m (supportive of) the change, not just because of my pockets,” he said. “But because you got a responsibility at your home. ... The city of Raleigh doesn’t come cut your grass for you, so the leaves are part of your landscaping. You have to be responsible for it.”
Visit raleighnc.gov/leaf to find out when your leaves are scheduled to be collected, alternatives to curbside pick-up and to report if leaves weren’t picked up at the correct time.
