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11/06/2023 02:20 PMEAST HAVEN
East Haven Public Service Department will begin its seasonal bagged leaf pickup effort on Monday, Nov. 13. The program will run through Thursday, Dec. 14.
As part of the pickup, department personnel will travel to many of East Haven’s streets with residential properties and bring paper bags full of collected leaves to the Transfer Station, said Charles Coyle, superintendent of operations.
The department asks that residents who want their leaves brought to the landfill deposit the collection in biodegradable paper leaf bags that can be purchased at a store. On the day when a resident’s street is designated for pick up, they can leave the bags curbside for them to be brought to the landfill.
The department is strict about collections being accepted in paper bags. Plastic bags will not be accepted.
“We can’t accept them at the landfill because it’s all biodegradable,” said Coyle of the landfill’s operation. “It’s too labor-intensive.”
The department is also asking that collections contain a minimal amount of dirt and rocks, which are also not acceptable at the landfill. Leaf brushes cannot be collected either, but may be brought to the transfer station for dumping.
The schedule will begin in the northern part of town and collect bags at routes such as Salvatore Drive and Borelli Road. It will then gradually trickle down to the southern part, ending at the beach area on streets like Silver Sands Road and Caroline Road.
Leaves collected as part of the pickup are then turned into compost, specifically mulch, after they have rotted out, said Coyle. Mulch collected over the past few years has been a money-saving benefit to other town services.
“A couple of years ago, we had a screener come in, and we screened all the mulch that we had accumulated over a few years that rotted out and made compost, and we made loam out of it,” said Coyle. “It’s a service to the residents.”
Loam is a soil composition that is ideal for garden plants because it can hold plenty of moisture, but can drain well for air to reach plant roots. Coyle said it saves the department between $20 to $30 for every space where loam can be utilized.
“Some people mulch them into their lawn because it’s good for fertilizer,” said Coyle. “Lots of people use that in their garden for fertilizer. We still have a lot left that we’ve been using ourselves around town rather than buying it for our parks and backfilling, curbing, etc. Whatever we’re doing with loam, we don’t have to buy it.”
The schedule of leaf pickup is at www.easthaven-ct.gov/home/news/2023-bagged-leaf-pick-schedule.