SWEEPING: Council's street sweepers can attend to leaves fallen on the streets, however leaves and sticks that have fallen in your yard should go in your FOGO bin.

Council

Where do I leave the leaves?

Published: 22 Mar 2024 12:11pm

During the autumn months, Wagga Wagga’s tree-lined streets are adorned with falling leaves, proving to be a challenge for those who like to keep their yards tidy.

Many residents depend on Council’s street-sweepers to clean up the leaves, however this is not always possible, especially in the suburbs with large deciduous trees (i.e: inner suburbs with maple trees).

Director infrastructure Services Warren Faulkner said there are some things residents should and should-not do during the autumn months.

“Sweeping leaves out onto the street and piling them up should be avoided as doing this creates more problems for the street-sweepers,” Mr Faulkner said.

“Piled-up leaves and sticks create blockages for the street-sweepers, causing delays and stoppages for maintenance.

“Therefore, it is best for leaves on the street to be left scattered, and any leaves and sticks that fall in your yard should go into your FOGO bin (Food Organics and Garden Organics) with the green lid, which is collected weekly.”

**GO FOGO:** Leaves and sticks that fall during the autumn months can be placed in the green lid FOGO bins.

Fallen leaves are also a great natural garden mulch and help to maintain soil temperature, so a small amount of leaves can be beneficial for garden beds.

Council has a street-sweeping roster in place. The frequency of which it can get to streets depends on seasonal workload.

“We are investigating hiring an additional sweeper for two months from 15 April this year to assist with sweeping to pick-up the fallen leaves,” Warren Faulkner said.

“There are environmental benefits in doing this rather than having them washed into the stormwater drainage system.”

**LEAFY FUN:** Raking leaves is a common sight in Wagga Wagga during the autumn months.

Early morning starts are required for the street-sweeper to avoid traffic. Where possible it is best to park cars off the street overnight to ensure leaves can be swept efficiently.

Please only contact Council to request the street-sweeper service for spillages that are a danger to the community (i.e: broken glass). Dangerous spillages will always take priority.

Service requests can be made on the Wagga Wagga City Council website.