The reason the "piles" have built up is that little storm that we had about a month ago and it's the season right. Realistically, during this time of the year if the claw got to you every other week, that was pretty good. An additional factoid missing from the discussion re: the containerized option is that the claw will be working during leaf fall and several times during the spring. If you don't need a container the rest of the year - compost and opt out of the city's program. That's what I do. From the city of sacramento: Containerized Yard Waste customers also receive eight loose-in-the-street collections during the year. Click here for PDF version of Collection Calendar. Please share this schedule with your gardener. * January - collection second week * February - collection last week * May - collection last week * October - collection last week * November and December - collection a minimum of every other week (See the Leaf Season Collection Map)