Geneva's just about done collecting leaves

Attention Geneva homeowners: Leaf-vacuuming time is drawing to a close.

City crews were expected to finish the second curbside collection in Zone C Tuesday, and have started the second collection in Zone A. Zone B gets its second collection next week.

And that's it. After that, if you still need to get rid of leaves, you have to put them in a brown paper yard waste bag and put them out with your regular garbage, through the end of December. No sticker is needed.

"One thing that I have noticed is we've been through areas (twice), and I see leaves piled up at the curbs. Those people are going to have to put it in a bag," Dan Dinges, public works superintendent, told the city council Monday.

The city changed its leaf pickup schedule this year. Previously, it would try to hit the zones three times each, but stop Dec. 1. That was a problem last year, when leaves fell late and snow came early and often (the trucks used for leaf pickup are converted to snow plow use). The last pickup of some people's leaves didn't happen until early spring.

"Right now I'd say 95 percent of the leaves are down," Dinges said.

Zone C is everything south of Route 38 and west of the Fox River. Technically, it was supposed to be finished last week, but crews are a bit behind.

Zone A is all neighborhoods east of the Fox River. Zone B is west of the river and north of Route 38 (State Street).