By Joe Scavuzzo, Director of Pennsauken Public Works

Public Works is kicking off leaf pile collection, continuing the success of recent years with a clearly posted schedule. Residents have two options for leaf disposal:

Option 1: Weekly Bagged Collection

Place leaves in cans/paper bags out for collection on the normal Wednesday yard debris collection day. For those who don’t have many leaves, this is often the best option due to the weekly collection service by Seaside/Interstate Waste.

Option 2: Curbside Leaf Piles

The second option is to place leaves curbside on the weekend prior to the scheduled collection week for your section. Our six-week collection program has been designed to ensure that each section of Pennsauken receives at least two scheduled passes of curbside leaf collection. Bagging countless paper bags is understandably cumbersome and time consuming, so choosing to rake leaves to the curb is an easy option.

Important Reminders

• Keep leaf piles at least 10 feet from storm drains, per NJDEP and Township regulations
• Do not mix in branches or other debris—these piles will not be collected
• Grass clippings and branches should be bagged for Wednesday yard debris pickup
• Signs will be posted in each section of town to indicate collection weeks
• Rain may delay collection; updates will be posted on the Township website and social media

For this schedule to work, all leaves for the posted collection week must be placed curbside by that Sunday evening prior. As our crews service each street, they will be marking each as “complete” and moving onto others in that section. Leaf piles placed at the curb after Public Works crews have passed will not be collected until the second scheduled collection.

Which Section Am I In?

Your trash/recycling day determines your leaf collection section:

• Friday pickup = Blue Section
• Tuesday pickup = Red Section
• Monday or Thursday pickup = Gold Section

Back in 2024, the Township’s Storm water Permit through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection required an enforcement of leaf piles being placed out longer than seven days prior to collection. The past two years have shown that this new schedule will permit residents to know when their collection week is and be able to plan their yardwork in advance. Traditionally, homeowners do yardwork on the weekends, which is perfect for maintaining compliance with these new regulations. If the leaves are out in the posted section by Sunday evening, Public Works will be through that section over the next week.

We hope that this schedule makes this seasonal chore a bit easier!

From all of us at Pennsauken Public Works, we wish you a very enjoyable Thanksgiving! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach us at (856) 663-0178, by email at PublicWorks@pennsauken.gov or find us on Facebook at “Pennsauken Twp. Dept. of Public Works.”