There is a plethora of bad information coming from the city and being repeated on social media about the action taken by the City Council to end loose leaf collection.
At the top of the list is Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter stating repeatedly at the City Council meeting and on various social media sites that the city is “not ending loose leaf collection.” This is wrong.
On Tuesday, Aug. 15, the City Council voted to stop loose leaf collection at the end of the 2023-2024 leaf season, which runs from Nov. 1, 2023 to the second week in February 2024. Most of the provisions in the ordinance go into effect on March 1, 2024. But since the city only collects piles of leaves raked or blown to the street through the second week in February, the new system of collecting leaves won’t go into effect until Nov. 1, 2024.
Another misconception is that with this new program the city will increase its yard waste collection to once a week. The city currently collects yard waste once a week, the new system does not increase the frequency. The city collects recycling every other week, but yard waste and garbage is scheduled for pick up every week.
The differences in the new system for year-round yard waste collection is that the city will at some point, and currently no one knows when, provide residents with a 95 gallon gray yard waste bin, similar to the current garbage and recycling bins the city provides.
After March 1, the city will no longer collect plastic bags of yard waste but will only collect biodegradable paper bags of yard waste including leaves. Up until March 1, 2024, the city will only collect clear plastic bags of yard waste. The city website currently states, “Using black plastic bags, paper bags and green recycling bags will result in non-collection.”
The City Council did not allow for a transition period for the switch from only collecting clear plastic bags to only collecting biodegradable paper bags.
What the city calls “Yard Waste Service Enhancement” also places a limit on the number of paper bags of yard waste that can be placed on the street each week at 10, and during leaf season 15. Currently there is no limit, but the city asks residents to “please limit” the total of bags, containers and bundles of yard waste to 10 each week.
The injuries that Councilmembers Abuzuaiter and Sharon Hightower talked about at the Council meeting and that were listed on the city staff report are not injuries to city workers vacuuming up the leaves. At the Aug. 10 work session, Councilmember Hugh Holston asked if the 68 injuries over the past five years listed in the report were of loose leaf collection workers.
Griffin Hatchell from the Field Operations Department said, “They are not separated. It is part of the yard waste system.”
Councilmember Zack Matheny went into this in more detail at the Aug. 15 City Council meeting and said that his research showed that most of the injuries came from bulk collection and said, “you can’t attribute a single injury to loose leaf collection.”
So the there is no statistical evidence that changing the system from vacuuming leaves to picking up paper bags of leaves is going to reduce injuries in the Field Operations Department.
This to me did not clear up anything. There is a snake in the grass on this and beware of the city council. They do not like to loose, and will do anything to say they are right.
Thank you John. Once again we see the numerous snafus this council presents on just one topic. Monkees running the zoo…what a crock. I can’t understand why citizens continue to vote these type people into office when they constantly muck up whatever the address. I have my personal thoughts but I’d be labeled a racist. You know- the standard Greensboro response.
Hope citizens will really consider how they vote. It’s your money being whizzed into the wind.
Liars or idiots or both
just here for the loose leaf tea
The debate about the value, efficacy, and cost of recycling is many decades old and will likely continue to not reach any sort of reasonable consensus. Recycling programs tend to make people feel better about helping the planet, even if the net cost of recycling doesn’t jive with that sentiment. Over the course of the city’s recycling program, there have been many changes and limitations and restrictions imposed, including recently banning glass in the curbside brown bins. What percentage of our recycling ultimately gets recycled in a meaningful way, and at what real cost, will likely remain a bit of a mystery.
What is not a mystery is how effective leaf recycling is. The city of Greensboro collects tons of loose leaves and then shreds and composts them. Leaf mulch is freely available to anyone who shows up with a truck or trailer at the landfill, and very large equipment is on hand to quickly fill your vehicle with hardly a visible dent in the mountain of rich, hot leaf compost. The leaf mulch is then used by homeowners and gardeners and landscapers to return nutrients to the soil in the most organic recycling program around. And in certain, wooded neighborhoods, the idea that enormous piles of leaves that line the streets like rows of cars could somehow be managed with an extra trash can at each house is laughable. Leave it to the government to fix something that ain’t broke.
I would suggest that those who don’t have a riding mower, get one and start mulching your leaves. A 95 gallon container for your leaves? All I can say is good luck with that. That might work OK if you have an extremely small yard but I do wonder about that.
Finally, A voice of reason in this forest of fear!
Perhaps Queen Nancy or King Tye could hold a press conference in an effort to inform the minions.
Bring Mitchell Johnson back.
Wasting tax dollars is his specialty.
We need an Ordinance requiring that City Council will wear performance-quality Clown Suits at any official function or meeting and City Manager will costume as Satan.
Hi John, Here is a paucity and plethora used together: There is a paucity of poon in Boone but a Plethora of —– in Blowing Rock.
How’s that for your daily rhyme?
The story is whatever they want it to be, when they want it to be. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They just fixed it.
Any civil engineers on the Council?
TL:DR Marikay is a liar and knows she’ll be reelected. All these swamp creatures are. My condolences to all Greensboro residents.
Are there any exceptions for senior citizens or disability situations?
I have a 2 huge oak trees that belongs to the city but these trees drops it leaves in my yard and fills my gutters multiple times a season
Should not the city handle its own mess
I do my best to get the load of leaves to the ditch but all I can do to handle the trash can when full or recycle can
My taxes increased and my services decreased
The city use to help people with disabilities with their trash cans getting service but no leaf collection has the biggest impact to senior citizens and people with disabilities
40 % is the number given that use leaf collection
Wonder how many of the 40% are seniors or disabled people???
I would guess a majority are us ( seniors and disabled )
I think you should start sending a bill to the city for the person you have to employ to clean up their mess from your yard as it’s their tree causing you a problem and their ordinances causing you more money. This seems to be a fair exchange. The only fear I have is that the city will respond by cutting their trees down, as they seem to be on a rampage with that process now.
If it is public info, there may be a good idea to learn where to park your leaves.
This is nothing short of a new way to punish the residential home owning tax paying base which tends to be conservative and lives in older neighborhoods with trees. The radical left hates property owners and prefers to cater to the underclass they purport to champion but in reality do nothing but take their votes to keep themselves enriched at the public trough.
BINGO!
So the 2 men on the council voted against this nonsense.
Who wants to bet the other 7 have never spent 20+ hours per fall just getting leaves to their curb?