UPDATED: 10/18/2021 11:11
As temperatures continue to fall so do the leaves. It’s time to get those rakes out and prepare to get rid of your yard waste.
In Omaha, that will look different than normal.
Fall yard waste collection season starts Monday, October 18, and runs six weeks through Friday, November 27.
During this period, they will collect as much as you have if you just fill up the paper yard waste bags and sit them by the curb for your regular trash pickup.
Not only will they be picking it all up, but during this six-week period you do not need to buy tags for the bags. They just ask you to keep the bags under 40 pounds.
Omaha Public Works knows how many leaves will be falling and they’re well prepared.
“This is going to be our first fall so the FCC, our haulers, is going to have to understand how big of an impact it’s going to be on their operations,” City of Omaha Public Works Assistant Director Jim Theiler said. “They have 16 extra trucks that they have rented to get this handled, so they’re really beefing up their fleet to handle this operation.”
The yard waste bags will be collected separately and taken to Oma-Gro to be composted.
The city says that the compost will be available for residents as well
“The material is great. We partner with local retailers to where the residents can go purchase it, or they can purchase it at our compost operations facility and wastewater treatment plant,” Theiler said. “It’s a very beneficial material that we are able to take waste and make a great product out of it.”
Compost is great for fertilizing and improving soil, among other things.
You may also continue to put yard waste in your garbage carts. However, the yard waste will go to the landfill with the rest of your trash.
If you have some big limbs or other large items that are too big for the paper bags, Public Works wants to remind you about the fall neighborhood cleanups. You can find those locations by clicking here.
Saturday, October 23 will be the final day for that cleanup.
Once the fall yard waste collection season ends on November 27, things will go back to normal.
Public Works says they will have another six-week free yard waste collection in the spring.
The City of Omaha previously shared this information about the free cleanup period:
Fall begins later this month, and the City of Omaha Public Works Department is preparing for the annual neighborhood cleanup and the curbside collection of fall yard waste.
The neighborhood cleanup schedule includes 31 locations beginning Saturday, October 2 and continues for the next three Saturdays, ending on October 24. Each week includes a site designated for disposal of tires, appliances and yard waste.
The Fall Cleanup program is a partnership between the City of Omaha and participating neighborhood/homeowner associations. The annual free event is an opportunity to recycle or dispose of large and bulky items that are not accepted through curbside waste or recycling services such as old furniture, appliances, tires, and mattresses. Some items are not accepted including rocks and concrete, construction debris, propane tanks, and household hazardous waste.
The free, unlimited fall yard waste collection will begin the week of October 18 and continue through November 27. FCC Environmental will pick up yard waste that is placed in brown bags and set at the curb with weekly garbage and recycling collections. Pre-paid stickers are not required during this sixweek period. All yard waste collected during this time will be collected separately and used to produce Oma-Gro that will be available next year.
Residents who receive special collection services can put yard waste bags at their usual collection location for pickup, however, only bags at the curb will be collected separately.
Other important yard waste collection reminders:
- Yard waste in any other type of container will not be collected
- Maximum weight for yard waste bags in 40 lbs.
- Yard waste can also be placed in the garbage carts year-round for collection
- More information on yard waste collection is available at https://wasteline.org/
Dropoff locations and dates:
