Bulk Leaf Collection to begin next week

The City of Kingsport will begin its annual bulk leaf collection beginning Monday, October 16. To make the collection process as efficient as possible, residents are being asked to:

• Place leaves within 8 ft. of the edge of the street but not in the street.
• Not block storm drains or neighbors’ driveways with piles of leaves.
• Make sure leaf piles remain accessible by not parking vehicles on top or beside the leaves.
• Take care not to include rocks, sticks or other debris in the pile. Such items would damage the large vacuums used for collection.

There are no set days or times for leaf collection. The city is divided into six zones with each street being run in that area before moving to the next zone. Depending on the volume and availability of equipment, the general time frame for this free residential service can run as short as a week and up to three weeks during peak season.

Each zone will be serviced at least nine times during the season and will continue until January 12, 2024. If you bag your leaves, place them with your yard waste and they will be picked up on your regularly scheduled trash and yard waste collection day.

Normally, between 1,800 and 2,000 tons of leaves are collected each year. The leaves are taken to the city’s demolition landfill where they are composted. The composted material is both used for city projects and sold to the public.

For more information on where the trucks are working each day, call the Leaf Line at 423-224-2429 or visit the ‘leaf line’ webpage.