TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Streets, Bridges and Harbor leaders are hoping to make leaf collection this year much easier for neighbors than it has been in years past.
They are hoping to give them a better idea of when crews could be on their street and make the pickup more efficient.
"We are going to be making a lot of changes this season, hopefully for the better, to try to keep up with the way our weather has been acting," said Jeremy Mikolajczyk.
Mikolajczyk is the Commissioner of Streets, Bridges and Harbor. He said they are working on making leaf collection as painless as possible for crews and neighbors.
Instead of using zip codes like years past to break up the areas, they will have almost 90 routes, giving neighbors a better idea of when they can expect pickup.
"We hope that it changes in the way we tell citizens when we are going to be there. In the past, we used to just post signs, and you would expect us in a couple days, but sometimes because of weather you wouldn't see us for a week or so," said Mikolajczyk.
Department leaders are also asking Toledo City Council for money for buying new equipment worth around $400,000, including 14 custom aluminum leaf caps and seven trailer mounted leaf loaders.
It won't be ready until next year, but leaders say this will make the process much easier and quicker for the crews.
Mikolajczyk said in the meantime they are doing the best they can to make this season work.
"Previously we just had bucket loaders push up leaves into giant piles in the morning and then we would load them out in the afternoon, and maybe a day or two after that, you would see a sweeper come by, we've paired up bucket loaders with sweepers now, so you should see in the same day, sweepers coming right up behind our bucket loaders," said Mikolajczyk.
SBH collects an average of 300,000 cubic yards of loose leaves a year in the city. Every zip code in Toledo is supposed to receive leaf pick up at least once during the fall season.
Mikolajczyk wants to remind everyone not to put their grass clippings by the curb, they will not pick them up, it is considered a hazard.
Instead just throw those away.
City leaders also had these reminders:
"Do not pile leaves in the street. Rake leaves, grass, and plant material to the lawn edge on uncurbed streets or just over the curb on residential streets not more than two days before the scheduled date of leaf pick-up. Do not place branches, twigs, shrubs, or garbage mixed in with leaves.
Residents along the Anthony Wayne Trail should place leaves on the residential street side of their homes - not on the Anthony Wayne Trail side.
Residents should not dump leaves in streams or creeks. Keep drainage ways open to prevent flooding. Residents are encouraged to mulch leaves and use them in their yards and gardens."
Leaf collection is expected to start in mid-November this year, and you can expect a map for collection to be out in late October.
