The city trees are shedding their summer skin and Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has announced the start of its annual LeafDrop program, a green initiative encouraging residents to recycle their fall foliage and pumpkins into compost, which is used to enrich local gardens and landscape, keeping waste from bulking up landfills and giving back to the earth instead.
According to the City and County of Denver, from today through November 30, on weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., the LeafDrop locations will be ready to accept your autumnal offerings, the Cherry Creek Transfer Station at 7301 E. Jewell Ave. is prepared to take loose leaves and smaller trailers, while at the Havana Nursery and Central Platte Campus, leaves need to be bagged up beforehand yet note, the Cherry Creek Transfer Station is the singular location that takes loose leaves and trailers hitched to vehicles up to six feet in length, and those bringing leaves in plastic bags must be ready to empty them there.
An added perk for residents is the ability to receive a free five-pack of compostable paper leaf bags through a downloadable coupon while supplies last, redeemable at participating Ace Hardware stores. To ensure a smooth recycling process, Denver’s DOTI advises residents to avoid including branches in the leaf bags, to secure paper leaf bags without using twine or staples, just roll them closed, and to keep the city’s storm sewer inlets and street sweepers functioning by not raking or blowing leaves into the streets.
More options open up as we hit the weekends with additional drop-off locations operational on Saturdays and Sundays between November 2 and November 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the likes of the Cherry Creek Transfer Station, Bruce Randolph High School, Kennedy High School, Sloan’s Lake Northwest Parking Lot, and Veterans Park welcoming your pumpkin leftovers and leaf piles, if you're a city compost customer, good news, you can simply add these to your compost cart instead.
