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The council voted to no longer pick up loose piles of leaves that are left curbside at the ends of a property. Leaves will only be removed from the property if they are left for crews in biodegradable bags, in trash cans, at the city’s yard waste transfer site or mulched.
Each year, the city spends approximately $400,000 to collect and dispose of leaves. By making this transition, there will also be less loose leaves clogging drains and sewers and creating potentially hazardous road conditions.
According to Mayor Noam Bramson, a portion of the monies that will be saved by making this change will be used on a professional public information campaign that will include mailings, robo-calls, lawn signs and demonstrations for homeowners about mulching.
While researching whether the legislation was viable for the city, Virginia Picciotto, the city's director of planning and sustainability determined the cost to taxpayers if they were to take each option.
It was determined that mulching would be the most affordable option, because most landscapers are willing and able to mulch at no additional cost. Another option includes bagging some leaves while mulching others, which will cost an average of $27 per year per household.
Bagging leaves would be the least affordable, due to the increased labor and laboring fees. The city determined that it would cost a laborer approximately $1.23 to fill an average of 50 bags per home, averaging to more than $80 each year.
The legislation can be found online. What do you think about the new rules on leaf collecting? Continue the conversation in the comments section.
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