Hillsboro Homeowners Will Love Their Local Recycling Program
Fall is around the corner, and with it comes the need for leaf removal. The city of Hillsboro provides valuable services for residents. Hillsboro landscapers should be aware of Hillsboro’s leaf pickup-program. And the city’s recycling programs could save you some serious cash this autumn. In this post we discuss Hillsboro’s extensive leaf pick-up and recycling program. We also explore ways that homeowners can take advantage of the city’s resources while renovating homes and landscapes
Leaf Pick-Up in Hillsboro
The City of Hillsboro begins its leaf pick-up program in November. Leaves are collected at street side, as well as in designated collection areas.
Street-Side Pickup. Hillsboro has a Leaf Map and Schedule available at their website here. Residents are reminded to have their leaves out on the scheduled day, or else the city may not be able to provide pick up. Loose leaves should be raked into a row 18 inches from the curb. The height of the row should be less than 3 feet tall. The city advises residents to avoid leaving obstacles near leaves; do not park your vehicle in a location that could impede leaf pick up.
Collection Area. Hillsboro will be providing free leaf disposal drop-off at the Hillsboro Fairground Sports Complex on 28th avenue next to the tennis courts on November 7, November 21, and December 12 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. This service is designed to mitigate the amount of leaves that make their way to the street and clog storm drains. Biodegradable bags are preferred. If you bring your leaves in plastic bags, you will be asked to dump the leaves out and take the plastic bags home with you.
Local Recycling. The leaf pick-up program is separate from the regular recycling program in Hillsboro. Hillsboro contracts with 6 private haulers for regular recycling and waste disposal to ensure that all citizens and businesses are charged the same rates. The City’s program is “Pay as you throw,” meaning that customers are able to reduce their garbage fees as they increase recycling.
Recycling Opportunities in Hillsboro
The city makes it easy to recycle. However, the municipality will only accept debris and waste from local projects, so if you don’t live in Hillsboro you might have to come up with some solutions of your own.
Composting. Composting leaves is a great way to handle them. The space that you use to store your leaves creates valuable nutrients and mulch for your garden. If you are purchasing garden mulch, you should be aware that making your own mulch is easy. Just mix your greens, such as lawn clippings, with brown materials, such as leaves in a 25/75 ratio (25 green to 75 brown). Non-meat food scraps may also be used as green composting material. When mixed properly with a little water and some summer heat, this mixture will produce nutrient-rich garden mulch.
Mulching mower. For lawns, use a mulching mower in the summertime instead of bagging the cuttings. This will also help feed the soil.
Rain Barrels. Water is a valuable resource, and in areas where it the rain is hard to come by, rain barrels can be a useful way to collect water for later use.
Recycled materials. Working with recycled materials for your next garden project can also be a rewarding way to save money. For instance, recycled paver stones may be used for pathways, retaining walls, and more.
Landscape East & West is committed to sustainability. We are happy to work with you on more sustainable practices and features into your outdoor living space. Beyond helping our customers be as green as they can be, we are also committed to sustainably processing our own excess materials. On our project sites, dirt, concrete pavers, and yard clippings are all reused or recycled so that we don’t generate a lot of waste.
Some examples include:
- Our company’s use of mulching mowers
- Concrete pavers crushed up and reused for gravel
- Excess dirt will be used to fill other areas of the project
- Wood is chewed up and used as chips and mulch
- Yard clippings are reused as well in composting and mulch
- We even recycle metal from project sites
- And more!
The only things we throw away are trash and (sometimes) PVC pipe. Indeed, our sustainability efforts are winning regional attention—we were recently awarded a spot on Oregon Business Magazine’s list of Top 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon.
We are really proud of this achievement and are committed to continuing our sustainable practices into the future. If you are a Hillsboro or Portland-metro homeowner that is looking for a sustainable landscaping company, we invite you to view our sustainable services to see how we can help you. We provide organic lawn, tree and shrub care, insect and disease control and much more.
About the Author: Steve Stewart is the Owner/President of Landscape East & West, award-winning Portland, Clackamas & Hillsboro landscaping professionals. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the company. Landscape East & West is a leader in the Portland Metropolitan area in creating unique landscape designs and executing expert construction and maintenance with care and pride.
