Leaf Collection In West Hartford, Everything You Need To Know

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — With the autumn leaves rapidly descending to the ground, the Town of West Hartford has announced that its bagged leaf collection program starts on Monday.

West Hartford offers a bagged leaf collection program for residential properties from Monday, Nov. 3, through Friday, Dec. 19.

Here's how it works.

Each week on your regular refuse collection day, crews will collect leaves bagged in 30-gallon biodegradable paper bags or the brown yard waste cart.

Residents should place leaves in 30-gallon biodegradable paper leaf bags or a specially marked yard waste cart purchased through the town.

The cart is the equivalent of three 30-gallon leaf bags. (To order a cart, call 860-561-8100 or visit https://westhartford.seamlessdocs.com/f/Barrel.) The cost is $90.

Leaf bags are typically available at hardware stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ace, as well as grocery stores.

Leaf bags and carts must be free of grass, twigs, rocks, and trash, and weigh no more than 40 pounds, or they will be marked for rejection and not collected.

There is no limit to the number of bags a resident can place at the curb. No plastic bags or loose piles.

Place your leaf bags or cart at the curb by 6 a.m. on the trash collection day, or sooner, and a truck will pick them up.

Crews will advance into other collection areas after completing their day's assignment and may pick up their bags before your trash day.

Curbside yard waste collection ended Oct. 31, and it will resume in April 2026.

Brush will not be collected during the leaf collection season.

Residents may bring woody waste and yard waste to the West Hartford Yard Waste & Recycling Center for proper processing. A permit is required.

Don't place leaf bags and leaf piles in the street. They pose a traffic hazard, especially when the weather is windy or rainy, clog storm drains, which results in flooding, and impede snow-plowing operations.

The town's compliance officer routinely monitors collection areas and issues written warnings and fines for each day that leaves remain in the street.

Leaf bags and piles should not block pedestrian sidewalks, either.

Other leaf options

There are other options for bagging leaves.

For example, people might consider mulching their leaves with their mowers.

To do this, they can make a couple of passes over the lawn until the leaves are reduced to fine leaf mulch.

This is a good source of nitrogen for your lawn, which will encourage spring growth. Leaf compost also enriches the soil in vegetable gardens and flowerbeds.

For those who don't want to wait for the weekly pickup, residents may bring their bagged leaves to the West Hartford Yard Waste and Recycling Center at 25 Brixton St. for disposal.

Leaves in plastic bags must be emptied into the appropriate area.

The facility is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last entry at 2:45 p.m.) and Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon (last entry at 11:45 a.m.), through December.

Yard Waste Permits

An annual or a day permit is required to use the yard waste/recycling facility.

Both can be applied for using a single-page form instead of two separate multi-page forms.

Permits may be purchased online with a credit card through the portal on the West Hartford Yard Waste & Recycling Center web page.

The application will be reviewed to verify residency, and a permit will be mailed to the resident, eliminating the need to pick it up in person at the public works office.

Applications are processed within two business days.

Residents who are not comfortable using the online portal may purchase their permit in person at the West Hartford Public Works office, located at 17 Brixton St.

Office hours for permits are Wednesday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.

Be prepared to provide a copy of a valid driver’s license and active vehicle registration, both with a West Hartford address.

Permit pricing is as follows:

• Passenger Vehicles, SUV, CUV, & Mini-Vans w/o trailer - $20
• Passenger Vehicles, SUV, CUV &Mini-Vans w/trailer - $30
• Pick-up trucks, Full-size vans, w/o trailer - $50
• Pick-up trucks, Full-size vans w/ trailer - $70

For more information on the 2025 Leaf Collection program, visit the Department of Public Works website or call 860-561-8100.