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The village of Montgomery Public Works Department is beginning its village leaf collection program Monday, Oct. 24. Leaves will be picked up through Friday, Nov. 18.
Leaf collection will occur during the weeks of Oct. 24, 31, and Nov. 7, 14. Residents can rake leaves no more than 5 feet from the curb (not into the street) for pick up by the public works leaf collection truck. The crew will begin to pick up on Monday and continue until they have made one pass through the Village. As a reminder, leaves must be in place no later than 7 a.m. on Monday of collection week. The piles will be vacuumed up as the crews pass through the village. Any leaves piled near an obstruction or obstructed by a parked vehicle will be skipped.
In addition to the leaf collection program, LRS Recycling, the village’s refuse hauler, will provide bagged leaf pick up at no charge to residents on their regularly scheduled collection days from now through Dec. 2.
For those who prefer not to rake or collect leaves, several online sources explain why mulching leaves with your lawnmower may be better than raking. Various websites share information on how to properly mulch leaves, including setting your mower to a height of three inches and cutting pieces until they are about the size of a dime. It may require multiple passes through your yard to achieve the desired size for the leaves to decompose and fertilize your lawn correctly.
Village ordinance prohibits leaf burning. Leaves that fall after the final week of pickup or are not appropriately collected and on time for village disposal are the property owner’s responsibility.
The village of Montgomery encourages residents to take a proactive approach to leaf collection due to the small window of opportunity to collect the leaves from when the leaves fall to when winter weather begins. The village streets team will quickly transition trucks and equipment from leaf collection to snow removal to prepare for snow-clearing procedures. In addition to equipment transition, landfills and state-mandated leaf dumping sites close on or about Dec. 1 annually, which halts municipal leaf programs earlier than preferred, where unseasonable weather extends the time frame for leaf fall.
To learn more about the village of Montgomery leaf collection, visit montgomeryil.org/168/Leaf-Collection.