Missed leaf collection. What to do?

Submitted by here4myplants t3_yr20d2 in washingtondc

This is my first year renting a residential house. I didn’t realize there was this whole leaf collection thing in DC for residential sidewalk. I’ve only lived in giant apartment buildings here. I only realized after noticing my section of the sidewalk full of leaves and everyone’s pristine that i had missed something.

It looks like the next collection isn’t until Dec . What should I do? I’ve just raked all the leaves to the tree box. Do I just leave it there until December?

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Comments

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lc1138 t1_ivrleli wrote

Leave the leaves for insects and other bugs to overwinter as nature intended

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doghairking t1_ivshhve wrote

Agreed, why waste time and pollute to get rid of something that’s part of our ecosystem

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spince t1_ivri7o5 wrote

Bag in paper bags. Make a 311 request for yard waste. You can also take it to Benning Road Transfer station.

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here4myplants OP t1_ivrk03l wrote

Can I put the leaves in Whole Foods bags or do I need to get one of those large bags?

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spince t1_ivrku3d wrote

Any paper bag is fine. It just needs to be able to break down. It'll make your life easier to have a big bag though.

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CriticalStrawberry t1_ivryd2o wrote

I would suggest getting the big ones. You will thank yourself later. Even with a small yard it will make it significantly easier.

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sparkycat99 t1_ivt3m2b wrote

Go to the hardware store and get some big bags. Your Whole Foods bags are pretty small.

I’m not sure how many trees you have - or if thats just what ends up in your yard from other people’s trees, but when I had a rental house in DC we had A LOT of leaves.

The single big ol’ tree in our backyard was at least 20 of those big hardware store paper bags before it was bare. I used a rake and a snow shovel to get them corralled and in the bags.

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ThatsALovelyShirt t1_ivrkvan wrote

Do what my neighbors do and hire a lawn service for the first time the entire year to endlessly blow all the leaves into other people's yards or into oncoming cars/pedestrians in the road/sidewalk with obnoxiously loud two-stroke leaf blowers.

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dodekaedron t1_ivudwn0 wrote

Technically gas powered blowers were banned in DC.

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ThatsALovelyShirt t1_ivult7i wrote

Oh trust me, I know. Every time I hear them a part of me twinges, but I seriously doubt that law is ever going to be meaningfully enforced. Like the law banning loud vehicle exhaust, or jake brakes in residential areas.

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cptjeff t1_ivvuele wrote

Report 'em to DCRA. It's pretty easy for them to go after a registered business.

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Sylviagetsfancy t1_ivrj2yc wrote

The DC leaf collection comes through before the truck with leaf blowers and moves everything from the sidewalk/ curb into the street for the truck to pick up. They also have never in 15 years shown up on my street within the date range given on the flier you may have received from DPW. You can bag up your leaves yourself if they bother you but if you did in fact miss the collection the leaves you rake into the tree box aren’t likely to stay there until the truck rolls around again in January or so.

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cptjeff t1_ivvu9zh wrote

Mow over them. Congrats, natural fertilizer.

Raking is one of the most moronic practices involved with the American lawn, and that's saying quite a lot.

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wowihaveanopinion t1_ivskbu3 wrote

the leaves are meant to fall on the ground and be on the ground where they add nutrients to the soil. because nature.
you planning to enjoy your green grass this january?

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Formergr t1_ivubapg wrote

> the leaves are meant to fall on the ground and be on the ground where they add nutrients to the soil.

Tough to do through the sidewalk or any hardscaping.

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Gumburcules t1_ivtl896 wrote

Not a lot of lawns in nature though - you don't see lush fields of fescue in forests.

In reality the leaves will just kill their lawn. You need to run over them with a mulching mower if you want to add the nutrients to the soil and still have a lawn next spring.

That is, if they have/care about a lawn. If they just want to let whatever grows, grow then they can certainly just let the leaves sit.

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[deleted] t1_ivrlx89 wrote

Are you required to remove the leaves? If not, leave them. If so, rack them into the street.

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