The Cost of Cleaning Up Fall

There are many options available to dispose of fallen leaves, some cost money and others are free.

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By Lauren Maxwell
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Story Created: Oct 18, 2011 at 9:03 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Oct 19, 2011 at 11:16 AM AKDT

It has been a beautiful autumn in the Anchorage area but now that most trees have shed their leaves, it’s time for the backbreaking cleanup to begin. The good news is that homeowners with yard work on their agenda do have some options for disposing of those leaves.

Leaves can be raked, bagged and picked up at the curb for an additional charge from your trash collector. Alaska Waste charges $2 a bag for bags that don’t fit in their roll carts. The city’s Solid Waste Services charges a $10 fee for bags outside the cart plus an additional $2 per bag.

Another option for homeowners is to take leaves to Evergreen Nursery.

The nursery offers a composting service at their Huffman and Old Seward location.

The charge is $10 for a pickup load of leaves or other yard waste. For lesser amounts it is $1 per bag or free if you use self-composting trash bags.

Local gardening guru Jeff Lowenfels has another option. He says most leaves should be left alone. Lowenfels says leaves that fall directly under trees should stay there because they break down over the winter and provide nutrients for the tree.

Leaves that fall on the lawn should be mulched with a mower and left on the grass to act as fertilizer in the spring.

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