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Curbside leaf pickup ends by Dec. 11 in Fall River, Somerset and Swansea: dates, rules and drop-off spots

November's leaves are the last big curbside load before spring. Here are each town's end dates, bag and barrel rules, holiday delays and drop-off hours.

By the SC360 Community Desk | Published Oct. 24, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 24, 2026, 5:05 p.m. ET

SOUTH COAST Curbside leaf and yard waste pickup winds down in the first two weeks of December in Fall River, Somerset and Swansea, so the leaves that come down in November are the last big load most households can put at the curb before spring. Fall River collects through Friday, Dec. 11. Somerset's last pickup week ends Saturday, Dec. 5, and Swansea lists Dec. 6 as the end of its season. Westport takes leaves and grass at its transfer station.

Fall River and Westport turn away plastic bags, and Somerset takes only paper bags, "earth bags" and unlined barrels. Each town sets its own limits on size, weight and number.

Fall River

Fall River picks up yard waste every week on each household's regular trash day, Monday through Friday. The 2026 season started Monday, April 6, and ends Friday, Dec. 11.

Leaves and grass go out in paper leaf bags, boxes or barrels of no more than 35 gallons or 50 pounds, with a limit of 15 bags, boxes or barrels. No plastic bags of any type are taken. Brush must be bundled and tied, no longer than 3 feet and no more than 2 feet across, and no branch can be thicker than 2.5 inches.

The city site at 10 Lewiston St. takes yard waste all year, including after curbside pickup ends, on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The Solid Waste Department answers questions at 508-324-2584.

Somerset

EZ Disposal collects Somerset's yard waste on the regular trash day, which follows the precinct: Precinct 1 on Monday through Precinct 5 on Friday. The town's 2026 calendar marks every week of November as a yard waste week, and the last one runs from Monday, Nov. 30, through Saturday, Dec. 5. Yard waste is not picked up in the winter months.

Collection is delayed by one day when a holiday falls on a weekday, which in November means Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26.

Yard waste goes out in paper bags, "earth bags" or unlined, labeled 32-gallon plastic barrels with handles, no heavier than 50 pounds and not filled past the top. The limit is 10 containers per household per week, such as five bags and five barrels. Brush up to 3 inches thick and 3 feet long is taken in bundles of no more than 50 pounds tied with twine or rope. The town asks residents not to use duct tape, which jams the machines.

Residents can also bring yard waste to the Highway Department transfer station at 1263 Brayton Point Road at no charge, with proof of residency. Its last two open days of the season are Saturday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to noon. The Highway Department is at 508-646-2835.

Swansea

Swansea collects trash, recycling and yard waste on the same day each week, Monday through Friday across five sections of town, for households in the town program. Everything goes to the curb by 7 a.m. The 2026 yard waste season began the week of April 12 and runs to the beginning of December, with Dec. 6 listed as its end date.

Pickup runs a day late in any week with a major holiday, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving included, and severe weather can push it back a day. Yard waste pickup is paid for by the annual trash fee, now $230, so the roughly 300 households that hire their own hauler do not get it. Swansea has no transfer station and no town drop-off site for leaves.

Westport

Westport takes yard waste at the transfer station at 72 Hix Bridge Road any day it is open: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday. Leaves and grass can come loose or in paper bags only, with no plastic bags, brush or tree limbs.

The transfer station is closed all day Thursday, Nov. 12, and on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 and 27, for the holidays. Its phone number is 508-636-9153.

Dartmouth's curbside program is taking Halloween pumpkins and cornstalks with yard waste this fall: Dartmouth will take Halloween pumpkins and cornstalks with curbside yard waste.

How we chose

This guide covers the towns whose 2026 yard waste dates and rules were posted when we checked on Saturday, Oct. 24. Somerset says its schedule is subject to change.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from the City of Fall River's Solid Waste and Yard Waste pages and its 2026 yard waste schedule, the Town of Somerset's 2026 trash, recycling and yard waste packet, the Town of Swansea's Solid Waste and Recycling page, and the Town of Westport's transfer station, yard waste drop-off and holiday closings pages. We read all of them on Oct. 24, and no news outlet's reporting is used. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: April 6 and Nov. 30 are Mondays; Nov. 11 is a Wednesday; Nov. 12 and Nov. 26 are Thursdays; Nov. 27 and Dec. 11 are Fridays; Nov. 7, Nov. 21 and Dec. 5 are Saturdays; Dec. 6 is a Sunday.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (8)

  1. Yard Waste | City of Fall RiverCity of Fall River Solid Waste Department. Guidelines: brush bundled and tied, 3 feet long and 2 feet in diameter at most, branches 2.5 inches at most; barrels up to 35 gallons or 50 pounds, boxes or paper leaf bags; limit 15; no plastic bags of any type; curbside April through mid-December; 10 Lewiston St. accepts yard waste year-round, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  2. City of Fall River Yard Waste Collection 2026 (PDF)City schedule, linked from the Yard Waste page: collection between Monday, April 6, 2026, and Friday, Dec. 11, 2026, weekly at the time trash is scheduled; normal trash collection Monday through Friday. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  3. Solid Waste | City of Fall RiverDepartment page: yard waste collected curbside April to December; contact 508-324-2584, solidwaste@fallriverma.gov. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  4. Town of Somerset Trash, Recycling, Yard Waste Program 2026 (PDF, 7 pages)Somerset Highway Department packet. Page 2: yard waste rules (unlined 32-gallon plastic barrels with handles, paper bags or earth bags; 50 pounds; brush 3 inches by 3 feet in bundles up to 50 pounds, twine or rope, no duct tape; no winter pickup; limit 10 receptacles per household per yard waste week); drop-off at 1263 Brayton Point Road with proof of residency, open 1st and 3rd Saturdays April through November, 8 a.m. to noon. Page 3: precincts 1 to 5, Monday to Friday. Page 5: residential yard waste dropped off at no charge. Page 6: 2026 transfer station dates including Nov. 7 and Nov. 21. Page 7: 2026 yard waste calendar (green weeks through Dec. 5), one-day holiday delay, Veterans Day Nov. 11 and Thanksgiving Nov. 26, barrels must be labeled; schedule subject to change. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  5. Solid Waste and Recycling | Town of SwanseaHighway Department/Public Works page: weekly curbside trash, recyclables and yard waste, yard waste from mid-April (4/12/26) to the beginning of December (12/6/26), 35 weeks; annual fee $230; about 300 households use their own vendor and are not eligible for yard waste pickup; five sections, Monday to Friday, one-day delay in holiday weeks including Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, severe weather delay; curbside by 7 a.m., all streams the same day; no transfer station. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  6. Yard Waste Drop Off | Town of WestportTransfer station page: yard waste any day the transfer station is open; leaves and grass only, loose or in paper bags; no plastic bags, no brush or tree limbs; Monday, Thursday to Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Tuesday and Wednesday and on holidays. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  7. Transfer Station / Recycling Center | Town of WestportFacility address 72 Hix Bridge Road, (508) 636-9153; same hours. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  8. Holiday Closings | Town of Westport Transfer Station2026 transfer station holiday schedule: Thursday, Nov. 12, closed all day; Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, closed all day; always closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Read Oct. 24, 2026.

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