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That mountain of leaves can be a nuisance. Make sure you don’t miss the local leaf pickup schedule! The best way to rid your yard of leaves is to blow them to the curb with a blower or pile them all onto a canvas and get someone to help you drag them to the street. You’ll want to dump your leaves just inside the curb.
Officially, they’re not supposed to end up on the street, but in our experience, we have seen most people put them on the curb rather than on the road. Probably because if the wet leaves sit on your grass for too long, they’ll kill it
Christmas Tree Disposal
Residents have several options for disposing of live Christmas trees. Those living in single-family homes can put the tree at the curb for their regular brush pick-up. All lights, decorations, and stands must be removed from the tree. It may take several weeks to collect the trees. Those living in apartments or who wish to dispose of their trees quickly can take them to the following locations for recycling through Wednesday, January 31. Look for signs designating drop-off spots.
- Crawford Park, 4226 Oak Ridge Drive
- Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center, 501 Reynolds Blvd
- Hanes Park (tennis court parking lot), 625 West End Blvd
- Little Creek Recreation Center, 610 Foxcroft Drive
- Old Town Recreation Center (tennis court parking lot), 4550 Shattalon Drive
- Parkland Park (tennis courts), 1660 Brewer Road
- Polo Park (swimming pool parking lot), 1850 Polo Road
- Salem Lake (at the gate), 1001 Salem Lake Road
- Sprague Street Recreation Center, 1350 E. Sprague Street
- Winston Lake Park, 3535 Winston Lake Road
City and county residents may also drop off one Christmas tree free of charge through Tuesday, January 16, at the following yard waste facilities. This is for households only, and after January 16, regular disposal rates will be charged.
- Overdale Yard Waste Facility, 4010 Old Milwaukee Lane, Winston Salem
- Forum 52 Yard Waste Facility, 180 Northstar Drive, Rural Hall
Winston-Salem Leaf Collection Routes And Pickup Schedule (2024)
City crews typically begin collecting leaves in the end of October, and have permission to start earlier if necessary.
Change In This Year’s Process
This year, the collection will start in quadrants one and two, two quadrants at the same time, different from other years. Once quadrants one and two are completed, they will collect quadrants three and four simultaneously. There will be three rounds of leaf collection in each quadrant. The collecting will run through January, or as long as it takes to make three passes in each quadrant.
Once leaf collection begins, estimated pickup dates will be revised frequently. Inclement weather, equipment malfunction, leaf volume, and other factors affect the pace of leaf collection.
Residents can go to the city’s leaf routes site to track the progress of leaf collection and enter their address to estimate when the leaf trucks will be coming to their neighborhood. You can see when the scheduled leaf pickup is in your quadrant and which rounds of leaves have already been collected. There is also access to order a new yard cart.
Leaf Collection Behind Again 2023-24
In the meantime, leaves in quadrants three and four are blowing back on the lawns and will have to be cleaned up again and placed at the curb for the third pick-up once they finally come to get the second one.
Residents who do not have access to a computer can call CityLink at 311 (336-727-8000 if outside city limits), and a City Link agent will give them their estimated pickup date.
7 Leaf Collection Do’s And Don’ts
Follow these leaf collection guidelines to ensure that your leaves are taken by the city.
- Rake leaves to the edge of the yard by the curb (not in the street).
- Remove all sticks, rocks, dirt, and other debris that may damage City equipment.
- Do not pile the leaves on a tarp.
- Do not collect leaves on a storm drain.
- Do not park vehicles on, in front of, or near the leaf piles.
- Leaf collection is provided for single-family residents only.
- Do NOT burn leaves inside the city limits.
During the rest of the year, place leaves in your City yard cart and put them by the curb on your street’s designated collection days. Call City Link at 311 (336-727-8000 if outside city limits) to order a yard cart.
Best Places To View Fall Foliage In Winston-Salem
Haven’t had a chance to go out and see this year’s “fireworks of fall”? Don’t worry, you might not be too late. Reward all the racking you did by going out and admiring some of the colorful leaves that are still on the trees by following our fall foliage guide.
Your leaves get picked up successfully or are you still admiring your pile out your window? Let us know in the comments.