Frequently Asked Questions

A. Solid waste collection has to be predictable.  Our hauler, Allied Waste Services, must schedule staff and equipment many months in advance.  Print deadlines on the coupon mailer and other marketing materials also require that we set the collection dates well before the season begins.

A. There is no commercial composter in the Treasure Valley capable of processing such a large volume of material. Boise City encourages residents to compost and recycle yard waste at home in order to reduce landfill wastes, air pollution, and use of fossil fuels. Discounted compost bins are for sale at Boise Public Works Department (4th floor, City Hall).  Call 384-3901 for more information.

A. The leaf collection program begins November 2 and runs through December 4. Leaves are collected on your regular trash day between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm. If you need to dispose of leaves outside the dates of the curbside collection period, you can place them in your trash cart. You may also use a trash can with an Overflow Sticker attached.

A. There will be a one-day delay in collection if your regular trash day falls on Thanksgiving. Veteran's Day is a regular collection day.

A. They are collected by Allied Waste trucks and hauled to a designated area at the Ada County Hidden Hollow Landfill where staff manage the mountain of leaves.  The finished material will be used at the landfill for revegetation projects. The paper bags biodegrade along with the leaves.

A. You may stockpile your bags in an unobtrusive place until the curbside program begins.

You may haul clean loads of leaves to the Allied Waste Transfer Station located near the airport on S. 4485 Curtis Road at no fee October 19 through December 18. Call 362-7564 for directions and hours of operation. You may also haul your leaves to the Ada County Hidden Hollow Landfill (10300 Seamans Gulch Road) October 26 - December 19. Call 577-4725 for hours and fees.

Please also consider using your leaves as mulch or composting them at home.

A. Check the Participating Retailers page for a listing of stores.

A. Use the bags for leaves and vegetative material from your garden. If you have leftover grass clippings and small branches from trimming your shrubs, it’s okay to mix them in with the leaves. Please save the more substantial woody material for the curbside Christmas tree collection program because those materials are put through a chipper. Curbside collection of trees and branches takes place December 28, 2009 – January 8, 2010.

A. You can use plastic bags for your leaves, but you must place the bags inside your trash cart. You may also place the bags in a trash can, but you must attach an Overflow Sticker. In either case, the leaves will be buried in the landfill as trash rather than composted. Contact the Utility Billing Department at 384-3735 if you need to purchase Overflow Stickers.

A. Use the coupon mailer sent out in October to purchase paper leaf bags. Set the bags out on your regular trash day by 7:00 am with the bags open so the contents are visible. Separate the bags from your trash cart by three feet or more. The leaves will be collected by a separate Allied Waste truck between 7:00 am and 9:00pm.

A. Call us at 384-3901. We will send you a coupon.

A. The Allied Waste trucks run two separate routes Monday through Friday during the leaf and tree program. In some cases they collect the yard waste first. In other cases they run the trash route first. They use the same trucks, but they do not mix properly-prepared yard waste and trash.

A. No. Only Christmas trees, branches, and tree limbs are accepted. Those materials are put through a chipper, and a private contractor markets the material. The contractor accepts only woody material.

A. No. The recycle cart is only for the paper, metal, and plastics described on the sticker on the underside of the blue cart lid and in the Trash and Recycling Handbook. No yard waste belongs in the blue cart at any time.