Most people enjoy it when the fall begins to bring new colorsand falling leaves. But for city trash pickup employees, fall meansmore work.

“Our trash pickup goes up about 85 percent in the fall,” saidBrookhaven Sanitation Supervisor Willie Smith.

Smith said for some people, just a little education on leafdisposal can help not just the sanitation department, but everyoneelse as well.

Currently many residents will simply rake their leaves into apile and expect sanitation workers to gather them up. But there aremultiple problems with that, he said.

“They add garbage to the leaves, and we can’t pick that up,” hesaid. “They’ll just rake their yards and they’ll be drinking orsomething, and they’ll throw their cups or bottles in with theleaves and then we can’t pick it up.”

He said it’s not a matter of their preference, it’s a landfillissue. Garbage products must go to a different landfill thannatural trash like limbs and leaves. Garbage pickup occurs twice aweek, and trash pickup occurs as the sanitation department can getto it.

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