EAST LANSING, Mich. — Despite yesterday’s snow event, the East Lansing Department of Public Works (DPW) will be collecting leaves on the City’s west side this week as scheduled. However, due to the snow event, it has been decided to also extend collection on the west side, with a fourth week of collection scheduled for the week of Nov. 25. This extension will be dependent on weather and any future snow events could prevent the additional collection from occurring.
The west side includes the west City limits at Coolidge and West roads to Abbot Road. Leaves need to be raked to the curb by 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 25 to ensure collection.
DPW officials will be evaluating the snow melt and leaf drop conditions over the next week before making any decisions regarding an extension on the City’s east side. At this time, the final scheduled week of collection on the City’s east side is the week of Nov. 18. The east side includes the east City limits at Park Lake Road to Abbot Road. Leaves should be raked to the curb by 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18 to ensure collection.
Important things to keep in mind:
- Residents are encouraged to rake leaves that have fallen to the curb as soon as possible and not wait until the end of the program. As highlighted this week, the later into the month of November, the greater the chance of a snow event occurring prior to the last leaves falling. This greatly reduces DPW’s ability to collect bulk leaves due to the equipment and staffing needed to manage snow and ice removal in the community. If the snow does not melt in a timely manner, leaf piles could also become buried during snow plowing operations, effectively ending fall bulk leaf collection.
- Residents are reminded that leaves should be raked to the curb or edge of the road and not into the roadway. A significant amount of roadway flooding is caused when drainage structures are clogged with leaves in areas where they have been raked into the roadway.
Visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/yardwaste for additional information.