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November 7, 2007
Closing Bell: Time to Brown-Bag Your Leaves
If you try to dispose of your leaves in a regular plastic garbage bag in the month of November, you might get hit with a ticket from the Department of Sanitation. During prime leaf season, property owners are required to use paper lawn and leaf bags that can be found at many local supermarkets and home stores like Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe's and True Value. And, believe it or not, there's method to the madness: Using the paper bags to throw out the leaves enables the city to turn the leaves into compost—which it turns around and gives back come springtime. For residents of community districts 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, there are two dates to set the leaves out: November 10 and November 24.
Fall Leaf Collection Program [NYC.gov]
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Comments
I hope the sanitation dept will reconsider the pickup dates. Most trees are still in full leaf and have just barely started to change color. By the look of things, I think we'll need another pickup in December.
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 4:16 PM
COMPOST IT YOURSELF - it's easy and clean
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 4:46 PM
I just want to add a warning for anyone who is considering taking some of the free compost the city offers. It's lovely compost, BUT it is full of a lot of broken glass. They make it from these collected leaves, Christmas trees, etc. and people seems to rake up trash with the leaves. You will need to sift it through a very fine mesh or forever use gloves when gardening.
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 5:38 PM
Last year we got a few of the free brown bags from the Sanitation Dept., but then had absolutely NO LUCK purchasing them at HD, Lowes, or any local hardware store. I hope they are more widely available this year.
And a December pickup would make a lot of sense--our trees have barely begun to drop their leaves.
Posted by: tinarina at November 7, 2007 5:43 PM
Thanks for posting this Brownstoner. We are new homeowners and weren't sure it was manditory.
FYI Lowes has the bags.
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 6:02 PM
A shame the city doesn't follow its own rules. The workers at Ft. Greene Park collect leaves and place them all in plastic bags. Who gets to fine the city when they break their own laws?
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 7:00 PM
Yes, agree with the post above. In Prospect Park they put all the leaves in plastic bags as well....this year they are clear if that means anything.
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 8:40 PM
Can you just use brown paper shopping bags? We don't have a back yard so a couple of those would accommodate the leaves from the sidewalk and front.
Posted by: guest at November 7, 2007 10:01 PM
The city should be ashamed of itself, making it madatory to brown bag it and providing no resources for supplies. None of the commercial establishments listed locally have bags. Most don't even have a clue. How much time, greenhouse producing energy, and effort are we homeowners supposed to spend on this mandate?
Bloomberg won't even take anymore 311 complaints on this. They say "write a letter." When the. complains go up, Mr. Technology pulls the plug and flys away to his weekend pad on the beach.
I say Bloomberg should have the decency to make sure his programs work before mandating anything from anyone.
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 1:46 AM
If I was given a bag from the city, I would do it.
When I see "Its the Law", go out a buy the correct bag or we'll fine you!
Screw em
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 8:57 AM
I purchased my bags at TrueValue Hardware on Court/Livingston St. Local stores do have the bags.
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 9:34 AM
So that means Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill have bags... Ft Green/Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy doesn't... and the clock is ticking.
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 10:09 AM
Probably in Carroll Gardens they think these bags are "scary."
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 10:29 AM
They sell these bags in packs of 5 at Lowes. Can't remember how much they were, but I bought a lot and they are great!
Posted by: honeycut at November 8, 2007 11:20 AM
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