I get 10-15 bags of oak+ leaves every week once they start falling. I mulch them with my mower and put them into beds, too. If I leave them whole, snakes seem to love the warmth of them. For some reason, I don't see snakes when the leaves are mulched up.

No snakes here!

More and more garbage is mostly picked up with the automated systems, especially in cities. So less leaves in bags out by the curb. It's a shame. Even out here in the countryside they give us one very large can for automated pickup. If we have more trash, it goes in regular trash cans that still have to be picked up manually. No organized recycling out here, either. Wish I had more leaves to put in my compost and use as mulch. But I can gather up the leaves on my own place, at least.

Newyorkrita said:When I see the bagged leaves set out by the curb I just think of all those leaves going to waste. They are just the best thing for my garden.

Me, too. And I have the same reaction when I see someone burning leaves, or when I see a trash bin or recycle bin full of corrugated cardboard.

Only problem I see with this is not just leaves, but what else is in the leaves? I've had people want to take my bags of leaves, but I always warn them that there's sticks & doggypoo in it. Then they obviously don't want it!! If I could guarantee it's just leaves, that'd be one thing. But I can't. Sad, but I don't rake up much leaves.. most I leave where they land for compost/mulch.

That is why I collect from my local neighborhood. And I can see pretty much whats in the clear bags.

Bagged leaves are great for me when I am in a hurry and when I need to carry leaves and grass clippings down to the lower part of the garden. Much easier to drag two bags of heavy grass and leaves than to have to load them into the wheelbarrow. I am picky about what bags I pick up and try to always look inside the bags before picking them up. Still, I do get some bags of just trash(weeds, bermudagrass, dog poop, et.). I sort them all when I get home and any bags that contain things I don't want I just sit by the curb again and let the city pick them up.
I used to pick up a lot of whole leaves by the curb (bagged and unbagged) but now I have learned to be more selective and have discovered that I can pick up all I need that have already been shredded by commercial lawn services and individuals and then piled out by the curb. By being more selective it has saved me a ton of labor and the expense of gas and blades . But, I don't just limit my picking up of leaves to the fall, I pick up a mixture of leaves and grass clippings all year long. Naturally during certain months there are more leaves and during other months more grass, but all though the year with the exception of a very short period I can get a pretty good mix.
I have a small pickup and use my seedfork to load the grass and leaves with, it does not take me long to get a piled up truck bed full. This is also my exercise program and what I spend in gas driving around I save in gym membership fees. I have finally got a place I can just back in and push and rake everything out in a big pile. It only takes a few minutes to unload my truck now, probably less than 10 min. Of course pine straw in this part of the country is also a great asset for the flower beds and the garden and I just picked up a nice clean load, better than paying for it at lowe's.

Excellent!!

I only wish I could pick up the bags of grass clippings put out during the summer by the curb. I can't though because around here just about everyone has those chem lawn services that spray those lawns with who knows what. We see the little yellow stick in signs always on our dog walks.

Nope, no grass clippings for me.

I used to collect leaves but I got tired of the broken bottles, rocks, and dead cats. I had a full size cargo van which would fit 80 bags.

Fortunately our acre now sports a few trees which supply a lot of leaves. But I especially prize the spruce & pine needles which don't have to be shredded. A nice thick layer is no impediment for asparagus, garlic etc. from last year but keeps new weeds from getting a hold. It is easily moved aside to plant new stuff.

I have 6 big mulch piles which I dig out and rebuild, one a year. They work rather slow because I'm not too fussy about what goes in them. Twigs, some dirt, and no turning.

Local park volunteers rake up leaves in my community. Bags are put out on the curb. Collecting bags is a one stop trip. Get the truck filled up on the spot. Yep, I get some funny looks at times. I tell folks my intentions from time to time.
For some it's surprising to consider leaves for composting.

I have found some pretty unusual things in the bags, but I guess that's the price one pays for unsupervised labor. Dead animals do tend to accelerate composting, so they go right into the compost bins if they're in a bag I've picked up.

My veg patch is on windy high ground. Spreading leaves in my beds is a lost cause. I've got to compost it and then till it in later. Tried shredding it one year. What a mess that was when winds suddenly picked up.

One stop sounds great to me. No such thing around here. So far no dead animals found in the bags I pick up.

It amazes me that people waste such good stuff for the garden. It can always be composted and I never have enough compost.