Get rid of those leaves

When traversing the historic SESNA neighborhood, one of the things standing out are the many and diverse trees lining the streets. These tall companions provide shade on hot days, a respite from harsh winds, cover and living space for all kinds of small animals, color the neighborhood green in summer and colorful in fall…

But when winter comes and sidewalks and driveways are covered in leaves, there is some cleaning up to do. And it is important to keep the gutters clean so water can flow and the sidewalks free so nobody falls. Luckily there are many ways to tackle this.

Moving a large amount of leaves around works best with either a leaf blower or rake. Scooping them up goes fast using a large dustpan. What is not allowed, is moving the leaves onto the street as the City is not equipped to deal with so many leaves, resulting in overflowing gutters and clogged storm drains during heavy rains.

Some good ways to dispose of the leaves you gathered:

• In your compost bin. Leaves make for quality compost.
• Or skip the compost bin and put the leave down as a blanket in your backyard, keeping new weeds covered while enriching the soil.
• Order a yard waste bin from your waste hauler. The recognizable green bins also take other yard debris as well as kitchen scraps.
• Take part in the annual free ‘Fall Leaf Haul‘.