Amidst the sweltering heat, we tend to overlook that October is drawing closer. In fact, as we approach the latter part of that month, the landscape will undergo a transformation as leaves begin to change color and blanket the ground.
According to city officials there will be a change in how leaves are collected this fall. The process will now involve residents bagging their leaves and leaving them at their curbs, which will then be collected by Team Waste.
The history of leaf collection in Lakeland is short. For many years, this service was unavailable, despite our town’s reputation as a tree-filled city. The approach changed last year, transitioning from a system where different sections of Lakeland would receive leaf pickup on a rotating basis over several years to an on-request service. This shift caused confusion among residents, both in terms of the process and the visual aspect of vacuum trucks passing by leaf piles from houses not scheduled for collection that day.
For this upcoming fall, the city has decided against conducting vacuum leaf collection. This decision stems from a lack of necessary equipment and staff to carry out the task effectively, which has also been an issue in other areas of public works currently being addressed through interim measures.
Residents can expect more details soon when the city mails out postcards about the change to the leaf collection program.
