Cape gears up for leaf collection

The city of Cape Girardeau collected 770 tons of leaves along city streets last fall and winter. Public works officials estimate a similar amount of leaves will be vacuumed up this season.

The city's annual, three-phase leaf pickup program will begin Oct. 2 and run through March 30, said assistant public works director Stan Polivick.

Last season, the city made about 6,300 stops throughout the city to collect piles of leaves that residents raked to the curb, according to Polivick said.

The city's automated leaf collection truck will travel throughout the community on unscheduled routes through the end of October, he said.

Officials said scheduled routes will be run starting Nov. 1 and ending Dec. 22.

The leaf truck only will collect leaves once at any single address during this time, officials said.

A brochure with a map of the proposed routes was recently mailed to city households, Polivick said. The routes also are detailed on the city's website.

The city is divided into seven zones for leaf collection.

Leaves will be collected as follows:

• Zone 1, southeast: Nov. 1 to 3
• Zone 2, northeast: Nov. 4 to 14
• Zone 3, central area: Nov. 15 to 22
• Zone 4, north area east of Perryville Road, Nov. 27 to Dec. 1
• Zone 5, northwest, Dec. 4 to 8
• Zone 6, southwest, Dec. 11 to 15
• Zone 7, west side, Dec. 16 to 22.

Polivick said the scheduled routes will be run in the same order as last season.

The routes are determined in part by how much area the collection truck can travel in a given week, he said.

When it comes to leaf collection, weather plays a factor, Polivick said.

"If we get a significant temperature drop for the first frost, they are going to fall fast," he said. Residents should rake their leaves to the curb but not pile them in the street, he advised.

Piles of leaves will not be picked up if they include other items. No garden material, small twigs or limbs will be picked up, city officials said.

Inclement weather could delay or postpone leaf collection, according to the city's brochure.

Once the city finishes collecting leaves on the scheduled routes, the third phase will commence, officials said.

During this phase, which will run from Dec. 26 to March 30, the leaf truck will travel throughout the city to pick up remaining piles of leaves.

Polivick said Cape Girardeau is one of the few cities which has a leaf pickup program.

"We have a man tied up for six months doing nothing but leaves," he said.

The city hauls the leaves to the former transfer station site where they are mulched. Some of the mulch is used in city parks. Some is made available to the public, he said.

But there is more mulch than there is demand for it, Polivick said.

The city pays a contractor to mulch the leaves and haul them off, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641