Summer Is Ended--Time For Annual Fall Leaf Pick-Up Program

Summer is past. Fall has officially arrived along with falling leaves.
Although the colors of the leaves provide visual enjoyment, leaves also can be messy. As a result they are usually raked into piles which then have to be disposed.

The City of Crystal Lake will begin on Monday the regular Annual Fall Leaf Pick-Up Program. This means that as weather permits, the City's Public Works Department Streets Division crews will pick up bagged leaves which have been placed on the parkway at the curbside of the public street.

The bags must be placed on the public parkway before 7:00 a.m. each Monday morning to ensure collection. Streets Division crews will conduct at least one round of leaf bag collection each week covering the entire City. Leaf bag collection does not follow the MDC Environmental Services garbage collection schedule in order to avoid roadway congestion.

Leaves must be placed in biodegradable paper bags in order to be collected by the Streets Division. Leaves placed in other containers such as plastic bags, garbage cans or boxes, or in bags too large for one person to handle, cannot be accepted.

By only collecting leaves in biodegradable bags, Streets Division crews are able to provide better service to resident, picking up more leaf bags in less time. The bags are also better for the environment. Crews can place the biodegradable bags with leaves directly and efficiently into garbage trucks for transport to the Waste Management transfer station.

If residents desire to place leaves in another container type, other than biodegradable paper bags, the City has established a Brush Drop-Off site, located at Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 2 at Dartmoor Drive and Coventry Lane, on the first and third Saturday of October and November from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Residents are responsible for emptying their own containers at this site. Crews will only pick up bags containing leaves. Other materials such as grass clippings, branches, yard waste or other debris cannot be accepted. Materials mixed in with leaves could damage equipment, and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) regulations do not allow other materials to be collected by the City.

Questions regarding the Annual Fall Leaf Pick-Up Program? Direct them to the Public Works Department at 815-356-3614.