It's fall and that means if you have trees on your property you probably have lots of leaves. The city of Yakima is offering residents some options to dispose of the leaves. A news release from the city explains.

“People can give us a call and we’ll do what we can to help them do the right thing with their leaves,” said Solid Waste Manager Loretta Zammarchi. 

The City of Yakima’s Refuse Division offers yard waste collection through November 30th. For $16.30 per month, the City will provide residents with a 96-gallon cart dedicated for leaves and yard debris. Leaves must be placed loose in the cart and not bagged. The cart will be picked up during the regularly scheduled yard waste pick-up time.

“The other thing folks can do is if they choose to bag their leaves is to call the Solid Waste Division and let them know they have extra bags. The Division will accept up to three extra bags placed beside the garbage cart however, the customer must call in advance for pick-up,” Zammarchi said. “Once the request for extra pick-up is called in, it will be added to the route and the driver will pick them up for an extra fee of $2.77 per bag, on their regularly scheduled pick-up date.”

If a resident has more than three bags of leaves, Zammarchi said to call the Solid Waste Division to request a special haul at a minimum charge of $25.

“Probably the best option is to take your lawnmower, mulch your leaves and put them in your garden bed or compost pile,” Zammarchi said. “It’s wonderful protection for your plants over the winter and can provide you with a great soil amendment for your spring garden.” 

The Yakima City Code forbids blowing or depositing leaves and yard debris into City streets.

Chapter 6.56.050 requires residents to keep leaves out of the street, alley or public place. Chapter 8.76.025 extends the restriction to public rights-of-way such as sidewalks and gutters. 

“The biggest problem is if the leaves are out there and it rains, eventually they’ll get into the gutters and plug the storm drains,” said Street and Traffic Operations Manager Joe Rosenlund. “That means when we do get a snowmelt or heavy rain then we’ll have flooding in the streets. It can lead to a pretty big mess.”

Call 575-6005 for information about leaf removal services in the City of Yakima.

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