It's that time of year again when Wagga Wagga turns from a tree lined city into a fallen leaf city, and residents are reminded that fallen leaves can go in the green lid bins.
We are lucky that in our city we have many established, beautiful trees throughout central Wagga Wagga that look amazing when the colour of the foliage starts to turn.
However, during the autumn months, that beauty can be a burden with the volume of leaves on that cover the ground.
This year, residents are reminded that leaves are suitable to go into the green lid bins.
Director Economy, Business & Workforce Fiona Piltz said fallen leaves are actually ideal for compost created from green lid bin waste.
"Contractors take our green lid bin waste and turn it into compost, which is used in agriculture, in our parks and on our sports fields," Ms Piltz said.
"Fallen leaves are perfect for this purpose, they break down easily and they compact well, so you can fit a lot of leaves in a wheelie bin.
"As the green lid bins are collected on a weekly basis, there is plenty of opportunity to fill it full of leaves before you place it on the kerbside for emptying."
Another challenge that Council experiences during the autumn months is the demand on the streetsweepers.
Director Infrastructure Services Henry Pavitt said the streetsweepers are on a regular rotation of the city, but at this time of year it can be difficult to keep up with the extra debris to be cleared.
"Council understands that residents like to keep their streets tidy, which is harder to do during autumn," Mr Pavitt said.
"The streetsweepers have many streets to get to during the week, starting early in the morning, and then returning to the depot for maintenance and preparation for the following day.
"Staff would like to remind residents to put fallen leaves in their green bin and not to pile them up on the street as this causes more issues for the streetsweepers.
"Large clumps of leaves can be difficult for the machine to collect and can hide sticks and other debris which clog the sweepers, meaning they have to go back to the depot for maintenance, in turn, causing delays.
"Use of our green lid bins will not only help our sweepers do their job properly – especially in the early mornings – but will also assist to create a safer environment for passing motorists, cyclists and pedestrians."
Please only contact Council to request the streetsweeper service for spillages that are a danger to the community, such as chemicals and broken glass. Dangerous spillages take priority.
