Sacramento is touted as a city of trees, but come fall it's a city of leaves. And if you think those piles of amber foliage lining gutters and flowing into streets are larger and lingering longer this year, you're right.
One Curtis Park resident said Monday that leaves hadn't been collected on his street since Nov. 22. "The leaf piles have grown so enormous that I fear dogs and cats and maybe small children could get lost in them," said Eric Brazil, noting that the piles are the worst he's seen in his 10 years in the neighborhood.
According to city Solid Waste Services officials, of the approximately 75,000 tons of green waste collected annually in Sacramento, about 25 percent is generated during a six- to eight-week period in November and December.
The city has adequate crews and equipment to provide weekly loose green waste collections 10 months of the year. "But we're not able to provide it weekly in leaf season," said Steve Harriman, general manager of integrated waste operations.
To handle leaf season, crews work 12 hours a day, six days a week, Harriman said. But he acknowledged this time of year, they typically fall behind. When it comes to fall leaf pickup, he said, city code specifies "periodic service."
Residents who opt for containerized green waste service are allowed to pile loose leaves in the street in fall. But Harriman urged people who have containers to use them, noting that container pickup is still occurring weekly.
Crews will be working Christmas Eve and will be on the job again Monday. And through the second week of January, Harriman said, residents can add their Christmas trees to those leaf piles.
LEAVES PILING UP?
If you're wondering when city crews might get to your street, check out Solid Waste Services on the city's website at www.cityof sacramento.org
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