Naperville reviewing leaf collection after early snow causes delays

The curbside collection of large piles of leaves that has been a staple of fall services in Naperville for the past quarter-century is set to be evaluated, as challenges with weather, equipment and a lack of farms for leaf disposal are complicating the program.

City officials say they review the curbside collection every year and continue to find hurdles to providing the service efficiently.

That's why this time, after a collection cycle that involved a weeklong delay because of a major early snowstorm and an extra payment of $146,400 to waste hauler Groot to help finish the process, leaders plan to scrutinize the program and possibly make changes.

Spokeswoman Linda LaCloche said the city has offered curbside collection for roughly 25 years.

Aside from raking piles into the street - near the curb but away from storm drains - residents also can bag their leaves on their weekly garbage day for free pickup, mulch the leaves themselves or hire a landscaper, LaCloche said.

Each year, the three rounds of curbside collection are popular, taking in between 40,000 and 50,000 cubic yards of leaves, according to a memo from Public Works Director Dick Dublinski. The city posts on its website and social media to tell residents where collection crews will be each day and when their piles are likely to be picked up.

But much of the equipment the city uses to suck in leaves from the street is as old as the program itself and showing wear and tear. And after years of development in the region, LaCloche said the city now has more trouble finding nearby farms on which to dispose of all the fallen leaves.

This year's collection was further complicated by snow Nov. 25. Public works had to convert many of the vehicles capable of collecting leaves into snowplows, a time-consuming process officials wanted to avoid repeating.

That's why the final collection cycle, which began Nov. 12, didn't wrap up until Dec. 13 and required the help of garbage trucks.

Some residents contacted the city wanting a better indication of when the program would end, so they would know when they'd have to begin bagging leaves. Others asked for better communication and details, which the city provided by adding information to its open data portal.

"We don't have control of when the leaves are going to drop or the weather. That's why we run into this problem all the time," Dublinski said during a meeting Dec. 4, as council members discussed the delay in pickups and the extra money required to finish the process. "I understand our residents want certainty."

Groot trucks during the final pickup cycle helped collect leaves from about half the city. On seven of the 11 post-snowstorm collection days, public works dump trucks scooped the leaves into Groot trucks, which then compacted and disposed of them.

The city now could complete a cost-benefit analysis of using garbage trucks to help with leaf collection as part of the curbside program, LaCloche said.

"The use of garbage trucks was helpful," she said. "Although a slower process, it might be something that can be incorporated in the future."