TWIN FALLS, Idaho — As the fall season slowly starts to turn to winter, that fall foliage can sometimes be a bit too much to handle. But thanks to the City of Twin Falls, one aspect of your yearly leaf cleanup has been simplified for homeowners — the trip to the dump.
- The City of Twin Falls has been allowing residents to bag up their lawn waste and dispose of it with the weekly trash pick-up.
- They will collect anything utility customers want to get rid of as long as it's presented to the garbage collectors in a manageable way.
- Officials would also like to remind residents that the same rules apply when shoveling snow.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The city's been actively involved in leaf collection for several years now, "Our interest in it is to prevent the drains from clogging and prevent isolated flooding on our streets," said Josh Palmer from the City of Twin Falls.
To help reduce the chance of clogged drains and isolated flooding when the weather starts to turn, the City of Twin Falls has been allowing residents to bag up their lawn waste and dispose of it with the weekly trash pick-up.
"We've been really fortunate, and we appreciate the community's response to it because we've seen a significant improvement,” said Palmer. “There was a lot of leaves that were removed from gutters and things like that, and this year we're seeing the same as well.”
From leaves to small branches and any other yard waste, the city will collect anything utility customers want to get rid of as long as it's presented to the garbage collectors in a manageable way.
"We'll pick that up for free. All you have to do is bag it and put it next to your garbage bins on your regular pick-up day, and well take that all away," said Palmer.
With community support, the city has seen a significant decrease in isolated flooding near storm drains.
"It seems like such a simple fix but those storm drains, they're built to a pretty high capacity, but the thing is, once they get clogged up, they just don't work," said Palmer.
With snow inevitably on the horizon, the city would also like to remind residents that the same rules apply when shoveling snow.
"In addition to leaves and other debris, if you're shoveling your driveway don't throw it on the storm drains, that effectively just seals them up," added Palmer.
The City of Twin Falls has over 500 lane-miles of roadway and will continue to mobilize their street sweepers, making sure those drains are clear until the snow starts to fall, giving residents enough time to clean their yards.
If bagging is not your thing, lawn care experts say to simply mulch your leaves. Mulching leaves provide nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil. The leaves break down slowly, releasing these nutrients into the soil leaving you with a healthier lawn in the spring.
