SERVICES:
Yard Waste And Fall Leaf Pickup
Fall Leaf Pickup
The City's Public Works Department (DPW) provides a leaf pickup program to residential streets—your tax dollars at work. The program runs each fall between mid-October and early December (weather permitting). This year, leaf pickup for the entire City begins the week of October 23, so please have your leaves raked to the curb by 7:00 a.m. on Monday, October 23, 2023. Be sure to review the schedule for the 2023 season.
Please rake your leaves to the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the Monday of your scheduled week. Please avoid mixing any forms of yard debris with your leaf piles—this can cause a slow pickup process and can potentially damage machinery. If you'd prefer to rake everything together, leaves can be added into yard waste bags or containers (labels available at City Hall or the DPW yard) until the season ends in December. Additionally, DPW highly encourages vehicles to be moved to provide ease of access, as missed leaf piles can create parking hazards if stacked too high. If you miss a pickup, please wait to rake your leaves to the curb until your next scheduled time.
Yard Waste
The City provides curbside yard waste collection services annually from Monday, April 3, 2023, through December 2023 (date to be determined). Yard waste—including grass clippings, leaves, small sticks, and weeds—is collected weekly on your regular trash day. Yard waste should be placed in either a reusable container with a Ferndale Yard Waste Compost label (labels available at City Hall or the Public Works yard) or paper kraft bags (available at most local hardware and home improvement stores).
Between December and April, yard waste can be dropped off free of charge at SOCRRA's Troy transfer station; contact 248-288-5150 for details.
Did you know that you can throw your light kitchen waste in with your yard waste through SOCRRA's curbside yard waste pick-up? You can throw in your kitchen waste items such as fruit and vegetable scraps— peels, rinds, seeds, nuts, or other byproducts. You can also include clean fill dirt, potting soil, garden soil, wood shavings and ash, and untreated wood. For a full list, check out this guide.
There are additional resources on the EPA Website about reducing food waste at home.
Compost Piles
Through the yard waste program, SOCRRA provides free compost for all Ferndale residents between the months of May and September. These compost piles are created from the yard waste picked up throughout the season. What a useful way to reuse!
Look for the compost piles throughout the City at these locations:
- Department of Public Works - 521 E. Cambourne St.
- Geary Park - 1198 Earle Blvd.
- Harding Park - Mapledale St.
- Kulick Center - 1201 Livernois St.
- Martin Road Park - 1615 E. Lewiston Ave.
- Wilson Park - 599 University St.
FAQs
Please explore the dropdown tabs below, where you will find FAQs regarding information and services from The Department of Public Works.
Branches four inches or less in diameter should be cut into lengths between 4'-12'.
- New Year’s DayLogs are more than four inches in diameter and should be cut into 2' lengths no more than 50 pounds per log. Prepared logs can be placed at the curb for collection on your regular trash collection day.
We do! Leaves and other yard debris can be bagged in brown kraft recycling bags or canisters with clearly-marked recycling labels (available from the DPW office). Pickup happens weekly on your regular trash day between (roughly) April 1 and December 12. To recycle yard waste in between pickup seasons, please bring your bagged debris to SOCRRA Recycling Center, located at 995 Coolidge Hwy in Troy.
As an alternative to bagging and curbside pickup, many residents enjoy the natural benefits of composting. Check out the Compost Program page to learn how to get involved.