City of Dayton to Bill Property Owners $75 to Remove Loose Leaves

City of Dayton to Bill Property Owners $75 to Remove Loose Leaves;
Normal Leaf Collection Process Limited to Paper Bags Only

Release Date: Friday, December 2, 2011
Contact: Fred Stovall, Director of the Department of Public Works, 333-4070

To eliminate abuse of its bagged leaf collection process and to encourage greater participation in the program, the City of Dayton will begin billing property owners $75 if City crews have to remove loose leaves raked improperly to the street.

The Division of Street Maintenance changed its leaf collection process last year to a bagged-only system. Now leaves must be placed in 100 percent biodegradable paper bags and set at the curb line on recycling day. Leaves raked loosely to the street are no longer collected.

The change to a bagged-only service saves the City of Dayton approximately $480,000 a year.

“The majority of Dayton residents have accepted the change and are cooperating by placing their leaves in the biodegradable paper bags,” Fred Stovall, Director of the Department of Public Works, said. “Unfortunately, there is still an unacceptably high number of households that are not complying with the new system and who are raking their leaves to the street. As a result, their loose leaves end up blowing throughout the neighborhood or clogging storm sewer catch basins, which can lead to flooding and other hazards.”

City crews will issue a “Notice of Violation” door hanger on residences where loose leaves have been improperly placed along the street. The property owner will have seven days from the date of the notice to bag the leaves in 100 percent biodegradable paper bags. After that period, any loose leaves placed along the street will be removed by City crews and the cost of removal will be billed to the property owner or responsible party.

As an alternative to bagging, residents can choose to drop off their leaves at area composting sites. Through December 22, residents can deposit leaves at the three composting locations below between 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, Noon-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, or 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Leaves can be dropped at these sites without a paper bag, but they must be emptied from plastic bags. No grass, sticks, or other debris should be included.

• Lohrey Site – 2366 Glenarm Ave., behind the Lohrey Recreation Center at Belmont Maintenance building.
• Gettysburg Landfill – 1826 Gettysburg Ave., north of McGee Blvd.
• Wagoner Ford Landfill – 2670 Wagoner Ford Rd., across from Grafton Kennedy School.