Carlos Ochoa is aware of just how much a problem it is when leaves and yard waste are pushed into the street. A City of Wyoming Public Works employee, it is his job to clean the streets in the fall with the extra leaves creating extra trips to Wyoming’s yard waste drop off site.

“We pick up a lot of leaves especially this time of the year,” Ochoa said. “Starting right now, I go about one mile and then I have to unload and that is a five-yard truck that I have there.

“It is a safety issue, because during winter hours if we don’t get all the leaves picked up, the water will create puddles and then [that] will create ice, then [that] creates accidents. It’s a big problem.”

Public Works Assistant Director Aaron Vis said the leaves and grass clippings in the street have been a problem with city officials visiting about 60 properties every year. Because of safety concerns such as flooding caused when the leaves block the basins along with aesthetic issues — “no one wants to drive down a street with grass or leaves on it” according to Vis — last spring the Wyoming City Council put enforcement strength into its existing leaf policy to discourage leaves being placed in the streets.

“If we notice that you have placed grass or leaves in the street, we provide you with a notice and you have three business days to get it taken care of,” Vis said. “If it is not taken care of, the city has a contractor that we work with who will stop by, take care of it by removing it from the street and then you, the property owner, will be charge cost plus 100 percent. If the property owner fails to pay it, then that charge gets placed against the property on the tax rolls.”

The City of Wyoming offers a number of options for yard waste and leaf disposal. The first being the city’s Yard Waste Drop-Off Site. Located right next to the Public Works Faclity, 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW, the drop off site is open year round (except holidays) with hours being 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. December – March. To use the site, you need only bring ID or proof of residency.

“Over the last three years, we have averaged about 65,000 people who have used this site,” Vis said. “In an average year, we dispose of about 14,000 yards of wood chips, tree branches, and about 4,000-5,000 tons of leaves and grass clippings are collected.”

Another disposal option is the leaf containers which are available as rentals to residents for $10 a weeknight and $20 for the weekend.

“The third option is on the first Saturday in December, the city has a contractor that comes through and picks up leaves from [residents’ properties] provided they are properly placed in a paper bag,” Vis said. This year’s curbside pickup is set for Dec. 2. All brush  must be tied in bundles no longer than four feet and all yard waste must be placed on the curb by 6 a.m.

For more information about leaf disposal in the City of Wyoming, visit the city’s website and then go to the Public Works portion of that website. On the left side, there is a section called “All About Leaves.”