The Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP) provides vacuum leaf collection for residents in designated areas from November through January. Residents simply place leaves at the curb for specialized trucks to collect and transport them for shredding into mulch or composting.
Schedule & Status
View the vacuum leaf collection schedule and status.
We are excited to demonstrate the positive changes we’ve made to enhance our service delivery and communication during the upcoming leaf collection season. These planned improvements are as follows:
Increased Resources
Additional vehicles will be provided to support leaf collection operations.
All collection vehicles will be equipped with tracking capabilities to improve accountability and enhance real-time progress monitoring.
Revised Collection Model
The collection strategy will focus resources on no more than two areas at a time. Each area will be fully serviced before moving on to the next.
Personnel will conduct preliminary surveys of each area before the start of active collection to document set-out leaf volumes.
Designated staff will ensure that all areas are fully serviced and inspected for completion prior to transitioning to other zones.
Additional Leaf Collection Staging Sites
In addition to existing collection facilities at the I-66 Transfer Station and the I-95 Landfill Complex, strategically located staging sites within service areas will be utilized. These sites will reduce travel time for trucks emptying loads, improving overall efficiency and productivity.
Comprehensive Communication Plan
An enhanced communications strategy will provide transparent, accurate, and timely updates regarding collection schedules, delays, and progress.
Social media platforms, such as Nextdoor, will play an integral role in sharing updates.
Residents who sign up for digital notifications will receive text and email alerts with detailed collection information.
The DPWES website will continue to feature a collection progress dashboard, updated daily to reflect street- and neighborhood-level pickup status.
Set-Out Details and Examples Gallery
Place leaves at the curb no later than the day before your scheduled collection date.
Create leaf piles no more than 4 feet from the edge of the street. Do not block streets, sidewalks, mailboxes, storm drains, culverts, gutters and other drainage systems.
Keep leaves free of trash, sticks, rocks, soil, grass and other debris.
Do not park vehicles on leaf piles as it poses a fire hazard.
Leaves raked out after the third pickup will not be collected. Uncollected leaves should be placed in rigid containers or compostable paper yard bags and set out for yard waste pickup (limit 10 bags per pickup).
Reminder: Yard Waste season ends December 24,2025.
Acceptable - Proper Set Out
Acceptable - Proper Set Out
Unacceptable - Leaves blocking storm drain
Unacceptable - Leaves Blocked by Car
Unacceptable - Bags and Brush in Pile
Unacceptable - Brush in Leaf Pile
Unacceptable - Sticks in Pile
Unacceptable - Trash in Leaf Pile
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Collection Schedule and Process
The service operates seasonally from November through January, with three rounds of pickups per area. Outside this timeframe, use the Curbside Yard Waste Guidelines or visit local Disposal Sites.
Look for bright yellow signs in participating neighborhoods and scan the QR code to visit the webpage.
Place leaves at the curb no later than the day before your scheduled collection date and position leaf piles no farther than 4 feet from the curb.
Leaves that are not set out by the collection date will be addressed during the next round. You can also follow the Curbside Yard Waste Guidelines or visit local Disposal Sites.
Refer to the set-out guidelines in the gallery for additional information.
The service is available to customers who pay an additional service charge. Those not enrolled must follow the Curbside Yard Waste Guidelines. If your waste is collected by a private provider, contact them directly for details.
Leaves are processed into mulch, which is available for free at local disposal sites. Visit the Mulch Service webpage for site locations and availability.
Additional Information
Refer to the Leaf Collection Brochure mailed to you.
Contact the Solid Waste Management Program at 703-802-3322, TTY 711.
