Leaf, yard waste pickup schedule

TORRINGTON — Leaf and yard waste pickup for Torrington residents will begin Monday, Nov. 12, and end Friday, Dec. 7, weather permitting, according to a news release from the public works department. Leaves and yard waste must be placed curbside for pickup on the same day as a resident’s garbage pickup. Do not call to schedule pickup. All yard waste is collected in separate trucks for recycling. Residents are asked not to mix or place yard waste in piles with their garbage.

Yard waste includes horticultural trimmings free of stones, dirt, and sharp objects, or other natural organic matter such as grass clippings.

Only leaves and yard waste bagged in biodegradable paper bags or tied into bundles not exceeding 50 pounds will be picked up. Individual branches can not exceed 4 feet in length or 3 inches in diameter. Leaves or yard waste raked into piles curbside will not be picked up.

Biodegradable paper bags can be purchased at many local stores.

Residents are reminded that leaves and grass trimmings are a recyclable material and cannot be picked up as part of the city’s normal curbside collection and disposal program. Residents are asked to take advantage of the city’s spring and fall clean-ups to properly dispose of these items.

“Grass clippings can be easily managed during the growing season by removing grass catchers on mowers and leaving the clippings on the lawn,” the release states. “Grass clippings are 80 percent water and decompose quickly. Clippings also act as a natural fertilizer returning nitrogen and other nutrients to the lawn.”