Fall Leaf Collection 

FALL LEAF PICKUP CHANGES 2010

Ann Arbor’s fall leaf management program is transitioning this year from two street leaf pickups each fall to weekly curbside collection through the Compostables program, provided from April through the end of November.

Why is the city transitioning to using the curbside compost program instead of the two fall street leaf pickups?

Despite the tradition of having the leaves picked up from the streets twice each fall, the street leave collection program has not been satisfying for many residents. The benefits of moving away from the street leaf pickups include:

• Providing weekly curbside leaf pickups throughout the fall season instead of relying on twice/season street collections. Instead of saving leaves for just two street pickups, residents can manage leaves throughout the fall.

• Avoiding problems with vehicles parking over leaves and impeding truck pickup access, resulting in areas of street leaves left behind for a season. Trying to schedule collection trucks to make multiple return trips to locations of previously parked-over leaves is not feasible.

• Preventing leaves from clogging storm drains, leading to neighborhood flooding and resulting in pollution running into the Huron River.

• Increasing the efficiency of leaf collection by using existing compost trucks and not deploying additional trucks to pick up bulk leaves.

• Increasing safety for bicyclists along marked bike lanes and other streets.

• Responding to seasonal weather variations. If warm, dry weather delays the leaf-drop or early snowfall reduces the opportunity for street collection at the end of the season, every resident gets the same weekly access to leaf pickup each year.

In addition…

• The City of Ypsilanti eliminated street leaf pickups in 2009 and managed the leaf pickup program within its existing budget, with little inconvenience to the public. As fuel and labor prices continue to rise, municipalities need to find ways to provide services without increasing costs.

• If the fall leaf-fall is delayed for seasonal variations, the city administrator has the ability to extend the compostable curbside pickup into December, to the benefit of all residents, not just a few neighborhoods tacked onto the end of the collection schedule.

• If residents choose to purchase and use a city-approved compost cart, they may also include grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps for municipal collection and processing. (Paper yard waste bags are not appropriate for holding heavy, wet materials that easily leak and break through paper bags at the curb and can attract unwanted wildlife. Plastic bags are not accepted for Compostable collection because the contents easily go anaerobic and sour and present compost site operation problems. Plastic bags are acceptable for holding refuse in trash carts.)

OTHER OPTIONS FOR HANDLING FALL LEAVES

• Feed your lawn with leaves by using a mulching mower! Instead of raking leaves, run a mulching mower across up to six inches of fallen leaves instead of raking. Turf Institute Researchers at MSU find leaf mulch the ideal fall lawn treatment.

Using mowers/benefits of leaf mulching for lawns, from Scotts: http://www.scotts.com/smg/learn/infoHowToArticle.jsp?detailId=11800002

• Use the weekly Compostable pickup. Use the compost cart to roll around the yard and then to the curb—no bags needed in the cart. Paper yard waste bags are great for leaves, too. The weekly Compostable collection season runs from April through the end of November. The pickups can be extended into December if the weather conditions warrant an extra week or more of leaf pickups. Sign up for online announcements via GovDelivery for the general news releases at www.a2gov.org (click on the red envelop in the right corner of the screen) or more specifically at www.a2gov.org/recycle.