MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Mother Nature had a hand in littering the streets with plenty of leaves over the weekend. As we all make a mad dash to bag up our leaves, the City of Memphis Division of Solid Waste Management has some important tips for disposing of your leaves correctly.
First, do not rake leaves into the streets or blow them into storm drains. Storm drains are designed to collect water runoff from roadways during storms. When storm drains are clogged with leaves, it leads to water backing up on the roads and causes a potential flash flooding situation.
Do not bag your leaves in oversized bags. They are difficult to handle when crews from Solid Waste Management come to pick them up. Also, if you hire someone to rake or bag your leaves for you, city ordinance requires they dispose of those leaves. They are not allowed to leave bags on the curb.
Residents are encouraged to be patient with the collection of bagged leaves. Weekly trash pickup of household waste is first priority. Crews will have to make additional trips for bagged leaves, resulting in overtime for employees.
Andy Ashford, Division of Solid Waste Management, says, “Your leaves will not necessarily disappear on your collection day. One home puts out 75 to 100 bags. That can fill up three trucks.”
The City of Memphis has opened up two sites where residents can drop off bags of leaves if they do not want to wait for pickup. The Public Works Yard on Collins in Binghampton will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The other location is Rodney Baber Park on James Road. It will be open until dusk.
