Talked to a city worker about the leaf pickup schedule, had no idea how it really works

I was out raking leaves last Sunday morning and a guy from sanitation pulled over to grab a coffee at the shop next to me. We got talking and he told me the city actually prioritizes certain streets based on tree density, not just first-come-first-serve like I thought. He said my block on West 117th might not get a second pass until late November because we're considered low priority. That explains why last year my piles sat there for almost three weeks after I set them out. He also mentioned they hate when people mix in branches or dog waste because it jams the machine and slows everything down. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has gotten screwed by the timing on their street, or if there's a way to check when they're actually coming through?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda_ward2mo ago

Wait, so leaf pickup is based on tree density and not first-come-first-serve? That definitely changes how I see it.

abby3082mo ago

Read a piece in the local paper saying the city maps out high-density blocks first to be more efficient. Makes sense now why my street gets picked up early every year.

betty_white3918d ago

Honestly, that timing stuff is such a pain. I live on a side street that's mostly older folks with tiny yards, so we're probably low priority too. Last fall my piles sat out for a month before they finally came around, and by then half the leaves had blown all over the neighbors' lawns. @abby308, you're lucky your street gets picked up early, I bet that's nice. Really makes you wonder how they decide this stuff though.