Fall Leaf Collection

Leave the leaves:

• The most sustainable option! Oak Park residents are encouraged to leave the leaves on their lawn or rake into garden beds to promote soil health.
• This option offers an opportunity to support regional biodiversity, protect and provide food for birds, save money on fertilizers and allow leaf litter to decompose naturally. It also aligns with the Village’s Climate Ready Oak Park plan.

Compost leaves:

• Residents who participate in the Village's CompostAble program can discard leaves in their 96-gallon gray organics cart along with food scraps and other yard waste throughout the year.
• Click here for more information and to sign up.
• Residents can also compost in place by running a mulching mower over leaves and leaving them in their yard to decompose and fertilize the soil.

   

Place leaves in a bag or bin:

• Fallen leaves can be bagged in paper yard waste bags and/or rigid containers with a weight less than 50 pounds when filled.
• Paper yard waste bags and/or containers should be placed in the parkway as close to the curb as possible.
• Green yard waste stickers are NOT required during the six-week Fall Leaf Collection Program and residents may put out an unlimited number of bags and/or rigid containers in the parkway on their designated collection day.
• Leaves collected are sent to a compost facility.

2025 leaf collection schedule:

The Village's Fall Leaf Collection program has been extended by one additional week to include an extra pickup the week of Dec. 8-11. Pickups during this extra week are scheduled to occur on the same day of the week as indicated on the map, with the southeast quadrant collected on Monday, the southwest quadrant collected on Tuesday, the northwest quadrant collected on Wednesday and the northeast quadrant collected on Thursday.

click to download map(PDF, 52KB)

• The Village’s residential waste hauler, Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), will have dedicated compost trucks and leaf crews that will collect bags and empty rigid landscape containers from the parkway according to the route and schedule set by Public Works.
• Fallen leaves can be bagged in paper yard waste bags and/or rigid containers with a weight less than 50 pounds when filled.
• Paper bags and/or containers should be placed in the parkway as close to the curb as possible.
• Green yard waste stickers are NOT required during the six-week Fall Leaf Collection Program and residents may put out an unlimited number of paper yard waste bags and/or rigid containers in the parkway on their designated collection day (see map above).

Oak Parkers are encouraged to look for opportunities to help neighbors who may need assistance with leaf collection. With one option for discarding leaves being to place them in yard waste bags and/or rigid containers in the parkway, property owners can tap into their neighborly instincts by helping those in need of support.

The Village is also coordinating an online portal where Oak Parkers can request leaf collection assistance. Fill out the online form to be connected with volunteer groups raking leaves throughout the community:

Leaf Collection Assistance Form is now closed.
Check back in September 2026 to sign up. 

Income-eligible leaf collection assistance

The Village offers a separate Fall Leaf Collection Assistance Program to assist property owners who meet low income limit requirements and have a documented medically diagnosed disability that prevents them from collecting fallen leaves. The Village is utilizing a third-party contractor to clear lawns of fallen leaves and remove them from the Village. Participants will receive services on two (2) dates during the Fall Leaf Collection Program according to the schedule set by the Village. One collection will occur mid-program after a significant volume of leaves have fallen, with a second collection at the conclusion of the program. For more information, call 708.358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.

Income-eligible leaf collection assistance application(PDF, 156KB)

Interested in volunteering to rake leaves?

Community members and groups interested in volunteering to rake leaves throughout the community are encouraged to sign up using the Village's Better Impact Volunteer Portal. For more information, visit www.oak-park.us/VolunteerSignUp.

Sign up to volunteer

Residents who utilize landscape services are asked to make sure their landscaper understands that starting this fall leaves should no longer be placed in the street. 

Click below to download a two-sided handout with information about the changes in both English and Spanish.

(PDF, 412KB)

Click here to download(PDF, 412KB)

Free paper leaf collection bags are available for residents to pick up during regular business hours Monday through Friday at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. and the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd.

Free leaf collection bags are also available at Oak Park Township Senior & Disability Services office at 130 S. Oak Park Ave.

For more information, contact 708.358.5700 or publicworks@oak-park.us.

To support the community-minded spirit of assisting neighbors, the Village is allowing each block to host an extra leaf collection block party during weekends through the duration of the Village's Leaf Collection Program in November and December.

To request a Leaf Collection Block Party, please complete the application form.

All the rules for traditional block parties apply, including the requirement to include a petition signed by at least 10 separate addresses on the block.

• Click here to download the 2025 Leaf Collection Block Party petition(PDF, 603KB)

The Village will provide leaf collection supplies for block parties upon request.

This initiative is intended to give neighbors an extra chance to gather while also making it easier to collect fallen leaves. 

For more information contact 708.358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.

Leaf Collection Block Party Application

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.