Residential Leaf Pick-Up Program

Where are the crews working now?

Check out this Leaf Pick-Up Map to view the City's progress. This map will be updated by 5 p.m. each Thursday with red areas indicating where the City's crews have completed leaf removal. City staff created this map to help residents prepare as crews near their neighborhoods.  

Please note that rain can cause program delays because leaves must be dry to be picked up by the truck's vacuum. 

Leaf Pick Up Crew working to vacuum the leaves from the curbProgram Overview:

The City of Joplin Street Division and the Parks and Recreation Department collect leaves from Joplin residential streets starting the first Monday after Thanksgiving.

To address all areas of Joplin, the City utilizes these two crews to start in outlying areas and work their way toward the center of Joplin. As crews work in opposite areas, they move toward the middle of town to complete the program. 

To help residents know the general order of neighborhood locations, the City has created a Residential Leaf Pick-Up Program map with neighborhood sections numbered, indicating the order of the crews’ work areas. By using the map, citizens can better prepare for their arrival to pick up their leaves. 

Map areas labeled S1 through S5 are the areas the Streets crews will be working. Neighborhoods marked P1 through P5 identify the Parks crew’s areas. Crews will move through these areas in sequence, starting the Monday after Thanksgiving, weather permitting. Due to the uncertainty of leaf amounts on streets, weather, and unforeseen conditions, it is difficult to predict the exact timing of arrival to the areas. 

The first neighborhoods that Streets crews will be working in are the Silver Creek, Highlands, and Woodland Hills areas (S1). They will then complete leaf pick-up in neighborhoods east of Range Line Road. After that area is done, they will move to the north end of Joplin (S2) and begin moving toward the center. 

The Parks crew begins south of 32nd Street and west of Main Street (P1) and will then move east towards Range Line Road (P2). Crews will progress through these sections until all of the City has been canvassed. Weather permitting, this collection could take at least one month or longer.

Residents are reminded not to bag their leaves, but rather rake them to the curb of the property line. Leaves should NOT be raked into the street, as this can clog storm drains, and could cause the City’s street sweeping truck to bypass that area. No tree limbs, brush or rocks should be included in the piles, please. Please do not place leaf piles over water meters (manhole covers).   Doing so may cause Missouri-American Water to estimate your water usage, instead of recording the exact amount for billing purposes.  

The City picks up the leaves so that they will not congregate around the storm drains which can cause flooding.  Also, during heavy rains, storm drains receive an above-average amount of pesticides, soil, fertilizer runoff, trash, pet waste, and leaves, which are then deposited in the nearest storm channel.   These channels are designed to eventually flow into Joplin’s Shoal Creek and Turkey Creek.  These pollutants can harm recreational activities, wildlife habitats, and drinking water sources.  Soil runoff and leaves cause the water to become murky, which blocks sunlight and decreases plant growth.  Plants are food sources for insects, worms, crayfish, and other animals that support fish populations.

Rake leaves to the curb, not into the street. See the examples shown below. Call Joplin Public Works Center for more information, 417-624-0820 extension 1564.

View Leaf Pick-Up map

Leaf Pick Up - shows where to put leaves on the curb in different situations