An 85-year-old woman who lives alone in Old Irving Park was surprised recently when, on her appointed yard waste pickup day – Monday – the City of Greensboro yard waste collection crew had not picked up the eight bags of leaves that lined the front of her yard.
She assumed the crew had just somehow missed her house that day.
However, another collection date came and went with no collection, and, after she called the city’s information line, she got the answer. The city employee asked if the leaves were bagged in black bags, which they were, and the woman was told that the city had just begun enforcing a policy that bagged leaves must be in clear bags.
City crews have picked up leaves bagged in black bags in the past, despite a 1992 city ordinance that states that using non-clear bags would result in non-collection.
In 2022, 30 years later, the city suddenly decided to start enforcing the rule without telling anyone.
The call center employee said that, since the rule was on the books, there was no need to inform the public of the change in enforcement policy.
The city’s call center employee told the 85-year-old woman that she needed to load the bags into her car and take them to a landfill or get some clear bags and rebag the leaves.
The woman told the city employee that she was astonished the city would make a change like that without informing the public. The woman told the Rhino Times later, “The city mails a newsletter out to everyone – that would be the perfect place to announce it.”
The city could, of course, have also done so in a press release and let the media inform the public of the major change in enforcement policy.
In another call to the city from a family member, the family member explained that the woman had moved to Greensboro from Chapel Hill and her yard workers doing work in her yard also came in from Chapel Hill. So, she was completely unaware the clear bag rule even existed, as were her yard workers.
The family member requested that, since the woman was 85 years old and lived alone, and since the city had always picked up black bags in the past, could the city please collect these bags from her yard one last time, and, in the future, the woman would know to always use clear bags.
The family member was told no, the city would not pick up the leaves.
When the Rhino Times asked Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughn if the Greensboro City Council had made the decision to start enforcing the rule, Vaughan said the council had not and she said this was the first she had heard of any change.
“I was not aware of it,” Vaughan said of the change. “That surprises me.”
Thanks to the mayor, however, the story has a happy ending.
Vaughan asked the Rhino Times for the woman’s address and said she would look into the matter and see what could be done.
Vaughan must have some pull with the City of Greensboro, because, within hours, the 85-year-old woman was delighted to find her black bags of leaves had been whisked away.
So please explain the difference in black bags and clear as far as collecting the leaves. The bags all go to the landfill are cut open the leaves dumped on the ground and mixed together for mulch. Why the rule. No black bags I’m surprised someone is not calling Al sharpton and yelling Racism
putting yard waste in plastic is just silly. When I last lived in the city, they used a suction hose to put into back of truck and take to landfill.
City of GSO picks up LEAVES with the “suction hose,” only during a few months (NOV-JAN), For most of the year, leaves must be placed in bags. Chris – I thought you knew everything!
Sucks you have to call the mayor herself to get common sense stuff done. We don’t all live in Irving Park or have the Rhino to call the mayor for us.
**HINT: You get what you vote for. **
God help the City of Greensboro
some of the most dangerous people work for the cities of Greensboro and High Point. I had the priviledge (sic) to sit in on a finance commitee meeting with the city of High Point a few years ago. The attitude and outright strongarm tactics of the dept heads are amazing. Those same folks could not cut it in the world of real people.. For example, they were proud of the fact that they were “training” the people to do things that they once provided, but no longer provide. This amounted to a savings for that dept. I can assure you that savings was not passed along to the taxpayers.
But at least Mayor Vaughn finally did something useful. Must be because that lady lived in Irving Park
She wasn’t much help when the “public servants” opted out of collecting glass bottles.
City yard waste collection services suck! Last week I had to pick up some rather large limbs that the workers failed to get into their truck. These large limbs could have caused quite a bit of damage to a car if the driver weren’t looking for limbs in the middle of the street and ran over them. I find it humorous that this 64 year old woman can pick up those limbs but the very in shape City workers can’t. Seems they have no respect for their customers and the ones that actually pay their salary through the taxes the City collects!
This was, most likely, the work of the new ‘third world’ City manager. Clear bags, that are strong enough, cost more than the black ones. I came here 15+ years ago and have always used clear, even though I noticed that most others did not, because I read the instructions on the City website. The last time I purchased them (3 years ago at Home Depot), they were 60 cents each; fortunately, I use only a few. I’m sure they now cost considerably more.
If one bags the leaves in an opaque bag, will it be picked up if then wrapped inside a clear bag?
George Steven Swan
BLACK bags? Why today’s woke idiots won’t’ tolerate that!
Maybe as suggested a press release or newsletter addition?
‘Tis’ better to over communicate than under, and besides, poor Queen Nancy can’t speak with every minion in the city.
Since the departure of Dale Wyrick as director the entire Field Ops department has pretty much become an almost comical disaster. It used to run like a well-oiled machine and now, well, it just doesn’t anymore.
No it didn’t worked Leaf collection before this has been known policy for awhile. Solid waste had been collecting them but you have to hire an entire temp service just to bust them. So the city has been encouraging people to just put them on the curb like everyone else. This is a move to save money and resources. Which is the number one complaint on this platform
The city does not do bulk collection ie suction trucks year round only a few moths a year. The rest of the year you either bag leaves and grass or use plastic trash cans
And they only suction the leaves up once in this season and once after the first if the year! Otherwise your leaves lay out on your yard and kill the grass under them. It’s wise to find the dates they will be in your neighborhood and act accordingly.
Nice ending to the story. Sad the workers couldn’t get off their lazy asses and pick up the leaves. Tell them to leave a note or have the city call the offending party…maybe to much to expect with the new high taxes we get to pay. Also, thanks to the story, it is the first time I was aware of the black bag rule.
I have perhaps 200 black bags, for leaves, trash, & garbage. I’ve lived here since 1986, nothing about this, ever.
Someone downtown is throwing their weight around, just because they can.
So, Mayor Vaughn, who made this decision?
Stupid is as stupid does.
And that’s exactly how government works. You’re a nobody? Even a little old lady who’s clearly been wronged by our own staff? TOUGH LUCK.
But… Ooooh…. you’re an important person in the army of “Public Servants”….. INSTANT RESPONSE! That’s because the Parasitic Sector does not exist to serve the people – that’s just the pretext for its existence. The whole grossly obese cadre of useless parasites exist simply for their own benefit, whether pretending to educate our children or protect the citizenry (“educators” or cops).
The truth? They derive their sinecures from the kindness of the hosts they leech off; the hard working people who create wealth in the Productive Sector. The fig leaf for this extortion was established decades ago on the pretext of funding roads, and the military. Now it funds “Diversity Officers” and wars in foreign countries (including Ukraine).
And “Pretend Jobs”, as Margaret Thatcher called them.
It’s time to eviscerate the Parasitic Sector. Fire them. Let them get real jobs, without “living off of other people’s taxes”, as the song says. They will get a sharp, short shock as they realise what it’s like to earn your own pay – independently, without robbing other people.
Yeah /s. We don’t need garbage service! Burn you leaves like real men do! Heck, live free or die and burn your trash in the streets too! /s
Austin, sure this is an administrative overreach what will (and was) quickly resolved. Yet you make it a case to absolve city services again as if the work these folks do isn’t important to keeping the city clean.
Chris I do burn my leaves and trash ina barrel in my backyard. Come over sometime I’ll introduce you to some of my “people “
Your English is so poor that it’s incomprehensible. It must be awful to be so stupid.
did i read that correctly, mayor vaughn gives happy endings? the only happy ending would be for her to leave the state. Term limits folks
I second that
With the recent increase in property taxes, the should expand the services provided to include collecting leaves in any sort of container you wish.
That’s what happens when you have an African foe City Manager. He is not from here and is a despotic figure. Why can’t we get local managers? Oh I know . Inclusiveness. Let this be a warning Greensboro. There is something afoot with Nazi Nancy’s Greensboro. it’s just woke stupidity and egoism.
GSO local government is a fascist trash. I concur. Just look at the tax hike
And Chicomms opening a “charity” for illegal aliens.
What is TREASON? Aiding and abetting your avowed enemy?
Ah, yes, Greensboro ordinances. I made a call to report hazardous walkways and parking lots after a snow/ice storm. I was told there was an ordinance on record that property owners clear such but that the City chooses NOT to enforce the ordinance. Such concern for residents….
Insane tax increase and cant even collect bags. GSO’s fascist government.
This reads like a banana city.
Taxation without representation.
Criminals don t represent the working taxpayers.
In Toronto, Canada we use large compostable brown paper bags the size of garbage bags. This is the law here. They work well and are easily identifiable. Bonus is that the leaves and the paper compost, and can be used elsewhere other than a landfill.
Greensboro composts yard waste. It doesn’t go to the landfill.
I goes to the landfill so a crew can bust the bags. Millions of pieces of black plastic does not make for good compost.
So you’re saying a million pieces of clear plastic makes good compost. Must make sense somewhere
I think the deal here is that people put most anything in the black bags, to be put out as yard waste, when it isn’t.
I can think of one legitimate reason for clear bags. The contents of the bags can be seen. What if someone wanted to use black opaque bags to hide the contents? What if the contents ended up in the compost pile? Not good.
Come on guys, the rule has been clear bags for twenty-five years. There were all kinds of posts insisting the city start enforcing rules regarding the homeless and panhandlers. The city should never have stopped enforcement of this rule. And, they should enforce all the other rules until. No department should be placed in a position of deciding what to enforce and what not to enforce. If you don’t like the rules…..go to the city council and make them do their job.
I always thought it was for the city to verify it was yard waste, not garbage, etc. Not as big a farce as recycling. The city garbage downtown is always a cross mixed mess. I was told they glean it at the dump.