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Leaf Collection
Ah, it's the Season of Fall in Indiana . . . time to travel around and be amazed once again by the vivid colors of each leaf on every tree.
Then, each leaf turns brown, and hits the ground. Beauty gives way to rolled-up-sleeves work. You didn't know there were that many leaves in the entire universe, as they all seem to now be covering your lawn (or even blowing in from other parts of town). What now?
That's where 'Leaf Season' comes in. The Department of Public Works (DPW) conducts the annual Leaf Collection Program to help our citizens dispose of the large number of leaves (more than 9,000 tons--or, 18 million pounds!) each fall. This program helps your Indianapolis/Marion County environment in two great ways--
- It produces useable compost, offered free to citizens, to help strengthen and beautify lawns and gardens.
- By not burning the leaves, we can all enjoy that crisp Fall air better (and see those beautiful trees more clearly). That's why open burning of leaves is illegal in Marion County.
From Monday, November 5 through Friday, November 30, up to 40 bags of leaves will be picked up each week, free of charge. No more than 10 items may be regular household trash. For example, in a hand collection area, a resident may set out 2 bags of trash and up to 38 bags of leaves. Or, 8 bags of trash and up to 32 bags of leaves. For 96-gallon cart collection areas, all leaves must be bagged and at least 3 feet away from the cart in order to allow DPW trucks to continue to service the cart.
To ensure a successful collection effort, Indianapolis residents are asked to follow these simple guidelines:
- Place leaves in large plastic trash bags, specially-built large paper lawn-waste bags, or standard trash cans and containers.
- Place the leaf bags/containers out by 7:00 a.m. on your regular trash day.
- Separate your leaf pick-up from your regular trash (such as, putting the leaves on the opposite side of your driveway; using different colored bags for the leaves; or, using different colored tie wraps on the leaf bags).
- Make sure sewer inlets and drainage pipes are kept clear of leaves to avoid serious drainage or flooding problems.
Free compost is available at the Southside Landfill located at 2577 S. Kentucky Ave., (317) 247-6808. Compost can be used as a soil conditioner, potting soil or mulch. Using compost improves soil aeration, drainage and nutrient exchange - improving the health of lawns and helping gardens grow.
Again, please remember--
OPEN BURNING OF LEAVES IS ILLEGAL IN INDIANAPOLIS/MARION COUNTY!
For questions regarding leaf collection, please contact the Mayor's Action Center online, or call (317) 327-4MAC for assistance.
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