ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A sure sign of fall: Winds are picking up and leaves are piling up. If you're in Rochester, other than remembering where you put the rake, you may be wondering when the yearly fall leaf collection will begin. It starts Nov. 4th, beginning a 30-day schedule broken up into three weeks. First operations will begin just south of Lyell, then continue into downtown and Rochester’s east side. Week three kicks off in the Lake Avenue area, the Beechwood neighborhood and North Winton Village.  Karen St. Aubin, the director of operations at the Department of Environmental Services in Rochester said they’ve already been out practicing so they're ready to hit the ground running.  She also requested that all city residents have their leaves unbagged at the curb, not the street, by the Monday of their scheduled week. As for what's next for the leaves? Well, they don't go to waste. Instead, News 8 learned they get transported to be composted for the winter, then returned to residents in the spring. It's part of what's called the Materials give back program. Without the programs in place to help, officials said the leaves would be sent to the landfill. To learn more about the fall leaf collection and find your exact scheduled week, visit the city's website.