Final Leaf Collections Underway In Newtown Township

Press release from the Township of Newtown:

The second and final leaf collection in Newtown Township for 2025 will begin on Monday, December 1st. Residents should have their leaf piles out and ready for collection by Monday morning of your collection week. As a reminder, the dates to have your leaves out are as follows:

• Zone #1 - Monday, December 1, 2025
• Zone #2 - Monday, December 8, 2025
• Zone #3 and Zone #4 - Monday, December 15, 2025

Note that the schedule in 2025 is challenging as Thanksgiving fell late in November, providing only 3 weeks (and a few days) in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas for everyone's second pickups. As there are not 4 full weeks in-between, you will see that both Zone #3 and Zone #4 are being collected for the 2nd time starting Monday, December 15th. This is not an error – this is so everyone could have their one collection before Thanksgiving and one collection before Christmas (weather permitting!) It will be difficult to collect two zones in the one week and three days, but we did not want anyone’s second leaf collection to have to be before Thanksgiving.

Also, we ask your patience as the weather for the next few weeks looks to be challenging. If snow or ice are forecasted (and it seems like they are quite a bit...), then Public Works needs to prioritize addressing the snow and ice first - which can mean a delay in leaf collecting. Leaf collection equipment must be removed from the four trucks and salt spreaders (and possibly plows) need to be installed to address the roads to make them safe for everyone to travel. Afterwards, the snow equipment is removed, the leaf equipment is reinstalled, and we can get back to catching up on leaf collection. Know that it is Public Works' intention to get to every road we collect leaves from on schedule - or as close to it as humanly possible. It was already a very tight schedule this year, and the winter weather forecast over the next few weeks will not make anything easy. We are grateful for your patience and understanding as we address both matters as quickly and as safely as possible.

Even with 4 trucks working (and without snow and ice in the mix!) it normally takes the entire week to collect all of the leaf piles from each zone. Be sure to have your leaves out on time, as if you put your leaves out after we collect from your street it is unlikely we will be able to get back again as the next day it is someone else's turn to have theirs collected - and if you miss the pickup time you will be responsible to dispose of your leaves. Also, if you see the leaf truck on your road earlier than the schedule says do not worry - if we somehow finish a zone before Friday afternoon, we may jump ahead to get some leaves from a future zone. We will still be on your road on the day we promised to be even if we ran down that road early to "take the edge off." We will just come back down that road again on the scheduled day.

You can find plenty of information, a schedule and map as well as the daily pickup report on the Public Works Leaf Collection Page.

Know that some of the biggest challenges this year - as in previous years - occur when leaf piles are blocked by vehicles and also when material is hidden within the leaf piles (like branches and stones which damage the leaf collection equipment). Residents are also reminded that leaves are never to be placed in the street itself but must remain behind the curb. Leaves in the street can create a safety concern. The homeowner is responsible for making sure this does not happen - even if they have a landscaper assisting them.

Finally, remember that Public Works will also take bagged leaves at the drop-off location in the Public Works yard. The Leaf Collection Page has additional information on this service.

Again, the staff of the Public Works Department is grateful for everyone's help and patience at this time of year as we collect the rest of the leaves and address any snow or ice that the season brings.

This press release was produced by the Township of Newtown. The views expressed here are the author’s own.