Autumn Leaves

Published on 20 May 2019

What can you do with all the autumn leaves?

To reduce the amount of leaf litter entering our waterways and to ensure that our streets and footpaths are clear, Council runs an annual Autumn Leaf Collection Program.

If you wish Council to collect leaves that have fallen from Council street trees in front of your property, please rake them into piles and place them on the Council verge near the gutter. Branches will not be collected.

To register for a leaf pick up for the following week, call Council on 8366 4200 no later than 3 pm on Friday afternoon.

Some other handy tips below:

Autumn leaves are good for the garden. Turn them into semi-decomposed leaf matter by making a pile, adding some water, covering them and then turning them over every few weeks. In three months or so you’ll have a nutrient rich organic semi-decomposed leaf mould to put on the garden. You can make this process quicker by breaking the leaves up first with a mulcher or lawn mower.

Dry leaf matter provides a great source or carbon in your compost bin or worm farm. Use leaves to layer between wet food scraps and garden materials. Keep excess leaves in bags for spring and summer when dry leaves are hard to find.

Leaf matter provides nutrients, helps to stop weeds and retain moisture. Rake them up and spread them straight on (or mulch them up first) your flower beds, vegetable gardens and under trees and shrubs or in container gardens to provide nutrients, keep weeds down and the moisture in.

One of the easiest solutions is to run over them with the lawn mower, no raking required. Empty the lawn mower catcher onto your garden for mulch, or directly into your compost bin or green lidded food and garden organics bin.

Place them onto your garden for mulch, into your compost bin or directly into your green lidded food and garden organics bin.

Please do not place leaves, lawn clippings or other garden material in a plastic bag. Plastic bags are not compostable and will cause contamination issues. If leaves are swept onto the street, they may end up in our water ways causing excess nutrients leading to algal blooms.