What to do with your leaves, and, you know the one thing not to do 

Fall is in full swing and so is Oak Park’s fall leaf collection effort. The 2026 collection schedule began Oct. 26 and will go through Dec. 18, expanding to eight weeks from the six offered in 2025. In 2024, the village ended the practice of residents raking leaves into the street citing safety and sustainability as main drivers behind the change. The village now recommends multiple different options for what to do with leaves. Residents can gather their leaves into yard waste bags or rigid containers and place them in the parkway, as close to the curbs as possible, for the village’s waste hauler Lakeshore Recycling Systems to collect and take to a compost facility. The filled bags should weigh less than 50 pounds. The village published the 2026 leaf collection map and schedule for each area of Oak Park. Residents can put out an unlimited number of bags or bins on their designated collection days, and green yard waste stickers are not required. There are free paper colle