MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's Department of Public Works has extended the deadline for residents to rake their leaves into the street for pickup until Sunday, Nov. 29.
The leaf rake-out period was extended to provide residents additional time to rake leaves from trees that are experiencing a late leaf drop, the DPW said. The standard deadline is Nov. 15.
Final cycle of leaf collection
Timeline:
After Nov. 30, crews will begin the final cycle of leaf collection. It takes about two or three weeks for leaf collection operations to cycle through the entire city.
According to the DPW, citywide leaf collection operations keep 15,000 tons of leaves out of waterways and sewer systems each year. Collected leaves are converted into nutrient-rich compost.
To check the status of collection in a neighborhood, residents may visit milwaukee.gov/leaves to see a live map showing where leaf crews are working and where they have already completed the final round.
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Residents who believe a leaf pile or bagged leaves have been missed in an area marked red (complete) on the map may contact the Unified Call Center at 414-286-CITY (2489) to request that the area be re-checked and collected if need be.
Residents may also submit a service request online at milwaukee.gov/click4action or through the MKE Mobile Action App.
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Tips for residents
What you can do:
The DPW shared the following tips for residents to help crews successfully collect leaves:
- Minimize the amount of leaves that need to be collected by mowing and letting them lay.
- Rake excess leaves loose into the curb lane. Leave a 1-foot gap between the leaves and the curb.This gap helps ensure the equipment can collect as many leaves as possible while protecting the equipment from potential damage, and it helps prevent flooding by allowing more space for storm water to move to the storm drains.
- This gap helps ensure the equipment can collect as many leaves as possible while protecting the equipment from potential damage, and it helps prevent flooding by allowing more space for storm water to move to the storm drains.
- Keep piles away from sewer grates, storm drains, and low-hanging trees.
- Include yard debris such as flowers, garden trimmings, and weeds on top of leaf piles.
- Do not include grass clippings, pumpkins, litter, or bagged material.
- Do not put brush in the leaf piles. Keep brush separate and located between the curb and sidewalk. Call 286-CITY or request a brush collection online through November 30th.
For Paper Bag Collection
- Place leaves in paper yard waste bags at the curb line or lawn edge, not in the street or alley.
- Do not use plastic bags of any kind.
- Bagging is optional but highly encouraged, particularly in areas with bike lanes, traffic-calming measures, angled parking, limited street parking, or locations prone to surface flooding.
- Submit a service request to help DPW identify bagged leaf locations and facilitate timely pickup. Requests can be submitted online at milwaukee.gov/click4action, through the MKE Mobile Action app, or by calling 414-286-CITY.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW).