Ada County Highway District (ACHD) maintenance crews have started collecting fall leaves and already a large pile of leaves has formed in Boise as a result.  The leaves are collected from the Boise area, with the majority coming from Boise's North End.  ACHD is sweeping up about 20 truckloads of leaves a day from the tree-lined North End (see attached picture of a sweeper transferring leaves into a truck).

ACHD uses sweeper vehicles to collect leaves that naturally fall onto the street, but the sweepers are not equipped to pick up large amounts of leaves that are raked into the street or alley (see attached pictures taken this week on Resseguie and at Heron off of Harrison).  ACHD maintenance crews report that some leaves have been swept into the street in Boise's North End.  Raking leaves into the street can cause flooding due to blocked gutters and clogged storm drains.

The leaves ACHD sweeps up are being stored temporarily off of 23rd Street south of Fairview near the Boise Connector until ACHD crews can haul all the leaves to a recycling operation south of Boise where they will take the leaves free of charge.  The leaves will be recycled and used as compost.  This means the leaves won't go to the landfill, but instead be put to good use.  It also means a savings for taxpayers because there is no cost to recycle the leaves. 

"The priority is getting the leaves off of the streets so they don't block gutters or clog storm drains," said ACHD Crew Chief Kevin Barton.  "The pile is only temporary until we can move it to the recycling location."

ACHD encourages residents to participate in free fall recycling programs.  Boise City offers the "Recycle the Fall" curbside leaf collection program that runs from November 2 to December 4. Eagle and Garden City have similar programs. In addition, Ada County's curbside program for unincorporated residents runs November 2 to the 13.  The Ada County landfill will also accept leaves and grass for free from Ada County residents October 26 through December 19.