Summer is coming to an end in Durango, marking the city’s annual fall cleanup, a chance for residents to offload leaves and tree limbs that would otherwise clutter their yards.
As usual, city workers will pick up organic matter block-by-block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood on a set schedule in late September through much of October.
This year, fall cleanup is scheduled to begin on Sept. 29.
According to the fall cleanup program, available on Durango’s website, residents should place the materials they wish to be picked up where they normally place trash and recycling bins for regular collection.
The city asks participants to place their materials on the curbside or appropriate location one day before the start of their scheduled pickup. Crews won’t return to an area once they have collected from that area.
Trash and items other than natural detritus such as leaves and tree limbs won’t be collected for fall cleanup. The city-related opportunity to get rid of unwanted items is the spring cleanup.
The city will accept tree trimming branches less than 8-feet long and less than 8 inches in diameter.
Fall cleanup around town will be conducted based on the following schedule:
- Starting Sept. 29 and lasting through Oct. 2, city crews will collect leaves and tree limbs in the area north of 15th Street to city limits, including the Animas City area, paralleling Main Avenue to the east and west.
- The west side subdivisions, including Crestview, Needham, Rockridge and Junction streets are next on the collection schedule, Oct. 6 through Oct. 9.
- The next scheduled subdivisions are Riverview, North College, Hillcrest and SkyRidge, and collections will take place from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16.
- Oct. 20 through Oct. 23, the areas south of 15th Street and west of Ninth Avenue, including the residential areas within city limits of U.S. Highway west (Twin Buttes) and Highway 160 east (Three Springs) is last on the fall cleanup collection schedule.
In partnership with Table to Farm Compost, residents can request on-demand leaf pickup between Sept. 30 and Dec. 6. Table to Farm Compost will compost the collected leaves.
City guidelines instruct participants to use 30-gallon compostable paper leaf bags to store their leaves – plastic and plastic-lined bags will not be accepted for pickup. Sign up at Table to Farm Compost’s website for the 2025 fall leaf composting service after the bags are prepared for pickup, and leave the bags on the curb.
The city also requested participants not seal bags with tape or staples.
More information about the fall cleanup is available online at durangoco.gov/346/Spring-and-Fall-Cleanup.
cburney@durangoherald.com
