Leaf Disposal and Food Drive
Thank you for participating in the 19th Annual FREE Leaf Disposal and Food Drive!
This year, Washington County residents helped local families
in need by donating food while disposing of their leaves at the 19th Annual Leaf
Disposal and Food Drive. Residents cleared 143 dump truck loads of leaves from
neighborhood streets and donated 3,142 pounds of food and $249 to the Oregon
Food Bank.
Check back next fall for a list of free leaf disposal events.
The leaf disposal program helps to control localized flooding caused by leaf-clogged storm drains. It helps keep nutrients from decaying yard debris out of local creeks, wetlands and the Tualatin River. The program is funded by Clean Water Services’ $5.25 per month Surface Water Management (SWM) fee. The SWM fee pays for flood management and water quality protection and improvement programs including street sweeping, 24-hour emergency flood response, catch basin cleaning, water quality monitoring, watershed planning and public education.
Last year, Clean Water Services composted about 10,000 cubic yards of leaves which includes leaves from our regular street sweeping program, curbside leaf collection and the annual leaf disposal program. That translates into about 1,000 dump truck loads per year (an average dump truck holds about 10-12 cubic yards). Leaves are taken to West Union Gardens and made into mulch.