The Crawfordsville Street Department is underway with fall leaf pick-up and would like to remind residents of procedure and ways to help crews remove leaves efficiently.
Prior to pick-up, residents should rake or blow leaves to the curb with leaf piles located on the street. Remember to keep leaves away from ditches, pipes and culverts.
Street department crews will only pick up leaves and residents should not include any other materials, such as dirt, rocks, metal or branches in leaf piles. Such items will prevent crews from collecting the leaves as they can damage leaf vac equipment.
Crews use leaf vacs to properly collect leaves. This equipment helps to keep lakes and streams healthy while keeping our community beautiful and safe. When large numbers of leaves enter the city’s storm sewer, the nutrients from decaying leaves overwhelm and harm aquatic life. Leaf vacs help keep the leaves off the street, reducing the number of leaves that end up in the storm sewer and the likelihood of street flooding due to plugged drains. Removing leaves from the street also reduces the risks associated with kids playing in leaf piles.
Leaf pick-up runs daily through the week, weather permitting, following a route across four sections of the city and opposite of trash pick-up. Once one quadrant is complete, crews move to the next quadrant.
Residents are also encouraged to mulch leaves to put around trees or shrubs for next year’s growth. Mulched leaves provide nutrients when composted for gardens, trees, shrubs and flowers. Leaf mulch improves soil fertility as it decomposes, which reduces the need for fertilizing. It can also aid in retaining soil moisture, lessening irrigation needs. Leaf mulches also surpass weeds, reducing the amount of weeding for gardeners or the need to use herbicides.
