We treat leaves differently as the fall progresses. In the DC area.
1. We mow-bag with light fall on the grass.
2. We blow into tarps and/or shove into garbage cans when the leaves are heavy, leaving what's in the beds there for the present. Leaves are taken either tossed into the back of the pickup, which, when that's filled, we call the leaf rig to begin. At the customer's preference we'll either leave them it the curb or the leaf rig comes by and vac/mulches them up. Customer is charged a leaf surcharge based on the volume of leaves (crew leader notes on the route sheet). Customer can also opt to have us stop mowing and take over leaves. We're following a weekly mow schedule at this time.
3. After all the leaves are down and if the customer has authorized it, we return to do a full property leaf cleanup, leaving them clean for the winter. In the DC area, this is usually all finished by the second week in January.
Leaf control is a big money maker for us. The leaves get recycled.