The City of Greensboro’s leaf police are not out to get you, but instead, to teach you.
According to Greensboro officials, the city’s “first priority is to educate residents on the proper way to collect and prepare the leaves for pickup. This approach has been successful, and residents have promptly complied with the new rules. As a result, no fines have been issued.”
That Sunday, Nov. 10 press release from the city added that, on the other hand, intentionally placing leaves on or beyond the curb line in front of your property may indeed lead to fines being issued.
Yard waste officials state that staff will, upon discovering a leaf crime in Greensboro, first try to educate the residents as to what they’re doing wrong and then give them 14 days to conform. By the end of that two-week period, the property owner must “properly prepare the leaves for collection.”
Two weeks later, the property owner will get a second visit from city staff, and, if the violations still haven’t been addressed, a citation with a $75 fine attached to it will be issued.
Then, two weeks after that, city staff will come back again to check on those leaves and, in that case, the transgressors had better have gotten their act together because, if not, it’s considered a “nuisance” violation and the city may hit the perpetrators with a $500 fine.
There are lots of other ways to get yard waste disposal wrong in Greensboro and the leaf police will be looking out for those transgressions as well.
Earlier this year, the city provided residents with gray carts to fill with leaves and other yard waste. Once the carts are full, you can place up to 15 biodegradable paper bags along the curb line – but you can’t use other yard waste containers.
One problem with the large paper bags is that, given the new rules and the large number of leaves falling, the paper leaf bags can be hard to find quickly. On Saturday, Nov. 2, the Lowe’s on Battleground Avenue was completely sold out of the bags, as were some other stores that carry them.
Given how frequently Greensboro has changed its leaf collection policies over the last decades, it’s not surprising that some people believed the misleading news reports that they would be fined for leaves that fell in the street in front of their houses.
The City of Greensboro has implemented so many changes with so many variations of yard waste collection that it requires constant checking to remain in compliance.
The policies on leaves, for instance, have gone from things like leave them at the curb by November 1 and maybe we’ll pick them up by the end of the year, to the policy of “Just leave your leaves where they fall – it’s good for the yard.”
Last month, the city issued an updated summary and reminder of where the policy on yard waste stands, (at least for now)…
Put your fall yard waste, including leaves, in your 95-gallon gray yard waste cart. Bag additional leaves using paper yard waste bags and/or bundle sticks with natural twine. Up to 10 bags or bundles will be collected from the curb weekly year-round.
(If you need a second 95-gallon gray yard waste cart, you can call 336-373-2489 and buy one for $65.)
From November through February, city crews will collect up to 15 paper bags/bundles of yard waste from the curb.
Greensboro’s yard waste officials still encourage you to “Leave your leaves where they fall,” because “Leaves provide important habitats for many different species.”
And this year the city also implemented a leaf-crimestopper-like phone line so you can get back at that neighbor you don’t like: Improperly prepared leaves that create a nuisance –those in the street, for instance – may be reported to the City’s Code Compliance Division at 336-373-2111.
And don’t try to burn your leaves. Burning any type of yard waste – including leaves – is forbidden within the city limits. You can still use fire pits for recreational purposes – but not to burn yard debris. (So, if you are disposing of yard waste in this way, be sure to turn on some music near the fire pit, put up some lawn chairs and grab a beer while you watch your yard waste burn – so you’ll appear to be in compliance.)
You can learn more about avoiding the leaf police knocking at your door at www.greensboro-nc.gov/yardwaste.
Big Brother (or, the “Leaf Police”) is here. Have you seen what it costs to buy an approved leaf bag, and how little it holds? Imagine the time, energy, & cost to fund the Leaf Police, and the bags. All the while our local BB gives money away to the faithful, as they see fit. How about I see fit to give money away as I choose, without taking extorting else’s money for my cause?
I am out to Randolph as soon as my house sells.
The wind does blow from City Hall, from the most unusual places.
Mostly when all the council members are sitting down
They do the best they can to make more noise.
This program worked fine for a number of years until the council decided to cover some of their irresponsible spending in areas. Some parts of the city did not need or use this service. It was an easy decision to take the one service that the taxpayers that pay the bulk of the property tax away. Bad decision and it is well known why it was done.
Council members should be elected at large so they can be held accountable for their decisions. If no, they will do it again. Mike
Glad city council is spending so much time on this critical mass of BS. Raised my taxes out the wazoo and reduced services. My guess council member pet projects needed more pocket change. And, the murders continue and the the homeless are taking up the city invite. Welcome to Gate City where the citizens are screwed.
Leaving the leaves simply isn’t an option for me. With so many trees in my yard, if I were to leave the leaves, I’d lose sight of where the grass ends and the sidewalk begins—which is quite a challenge in the fall.
Additionally, has there been any consideration for elderly residents? Many find it difficult enough to walk to the mailbox, let alone rake and collect leaves into a container.
Then there are those who simply don’t have the extra time to gather and dispose of the leaves. For them, hiring someone to handle this has become an out-of-pocket expense.
And now, the city’s vacuum trucks—once used for leaf collection—are still doing the same job, only now homeowners are footing the bill.
Finally, one major question comes to mind: how is it that the city is requiring residents to manage all the work of moving leaves, only to turn around and compost these leaves into mulch or soil to sell back to us?
I am waiting for a multi-structural fire within city limits resulting to thick layers of dried “leave the leaves” amongst the neighborhood homes. Not the green grass that is resistant to flame-ups. Nope. Now we have a city sanctioned tinder box of leaves just waiting to ignite. Any laws firms by chance waiting in the wing for this disaster to unfold?
One can only imagine a tossed cigarette from passing vehicle or God forbid actual house fire igniting the magnitude or dried leaves.
I’m sure it will be fine. Nancy Vaughn says the is no increased fire risk from leaving massive amounts of leaves, right Nancy?
Greensboro’s new leaf collection policy is a classic example of good intentions gone awry. While it’s touted as an environmentally friendly initiative, the reality is that it imposes a hidden tax on residents and places an undue burden on homeowners. Rather than addressing the root of the issue, this policy fails to consider the practical needs of Greensboro’s residents or the true environmental impact of its rules.
An issue is the 95-gallon gray yard waste cart that the city provides for leaf collection. While it may sound generous at first, this cart is woefully insufficient for the volume of leaves that homeowners in Greensboro typically generate. For many residents, a single cart is not enough, and the solution—buying more carts—is neither realistic nor affordable. These carts are expensive, and filling up multiple bins each week is a time-consuming and frustrating process.
But it doesn’t stop there. If homeowners choose to avoid the cart system and opt for biodegradable paper bags instead, they’ll find that these bags are not only costly but also a huge hassle to fill. Raking or blowing leaves into dozens of bags takes hours of labor, often on top of a busy workweek. And for those who decide to hire a service to manage the leaves, the expense quickly piles up, turning a simple yard maintenance task into a small financial burden.
One of the most controversial aspects of this policy is the city’s suggestion to “Leave your leaves where they fall.” The rationale is that leaves provide vital habitats for various species. But let’s be honest: unless you’re prepared to eliminate your lawn entirely, leaving leaves on your grass is neither practical nor effective from an environmental perspective.
While leaves do provide habitats for some insects and animals, this advice fails to consider the broader benefits of properly maintained lawns, which can help the environment in many ways. For example:
Oxygen Generation: A 50 by 50 foot green space generates enough oxygen for a family of four to breathe daily.
Erosion Control & Runoff Prevention: Healthy lawns prevent soil erosion and reduce water runoff, keeping our local waterways cleaner.
Air Purification: Green spaces trap and purify more than 12 million tons of dust, soil, and particulate matter annually, improving air quality.
In other words, lawns themselves are an important part of Greensboro’s ecosystem and contribute significantly to the local environment. Simply abandoning leaves where they fall isn’t a sustainable practice—it’s an excuse to shift the burden onto residents without a real, measurable environmental gain. Greensboro deserves better than this. It’s time for the city to reconsider its leaf collection policy and engage with residents to find a more practical and sustainable solution. By focusing on both the environment and the well-being of its citizens, Greensboro can create a policy that truly supports its community—and doesn’t leave homeowners in the lurch.
Have city officials ever heard of MOLD. Allowing leaves to lay on top of each other will cause mold to form when wet. It will kill your grass if to many lay on the lawn. So, don’t listen to them.
We need to educate our elected officials as to what happens when you increase taxes and decrease services.
LOL! Thanks for the laughs Scott. Our city tax dollars at work. What a joke.
I said this last year here and I repeat it now. Dump all your leaves on Mayor Vaughn`s yard, as well as those of the City Council! Any mayor who would give themselves a raise, raise taxes and delete services to pay a co. such incentives as free utilities and no property taxes for 10 years (Boom Ind.), and decide the ACC Offices which would bring Basketball, Baseball, Swimming, and Golf Championships to the city by its very presence is not worth fighting for–obviously has no concern for the well-being of her citizens. The average age of the residents of Greensboro is the 50s, with quite a few residents at retirement and older. Yet, Nancy Vaughn decides it is too expensive for the city to pick up leaves, but not too expensive for older people to increase their medical bills from strained backs and exacerbated hearty conditions from having to manually pick up their leaves and bag them. And on top of that, she will fine these residents if they don`t pick them up in a timely manner! We don`t just need to vote for a new mayor–we need to kick our current one out for negligence to the residents of Greensboro and also for showing a total disregard for their well-being.
Second the motion. If I felt I could get away with it, I would make judicious deposits.
I live in High Point. If they pull this stunt in HP I will be the one saying the same thing at City Council meetings in HP.
I really hope the Rhino Times would lead on the issue of rescinding this crazy decision by our so called leaders. I am concerned the city will slate this decision as the best money saver they have ever enacted; but there is no way this decision is fiscally responsible. It seems many of our neighbors are paying a private contractor to pick up the leaves. The city would never mention that fact
The above comments clearly indicate that I am not alone in my disdain for the NEW leaf collection policy. I am uninformed as to whether City Counsel voted to approve this absolutely unacceptable imposition or if some unelected bureaucrat has foisted this, perhaps actionable, fiasco upon us?
Contemplate with me, recent activity by our City Government regarding those of us who pay their salaries:
At the peak of property values, conveniently occurring at assessment time, the city received an absolute windfall in tax money, but adding insult to injury, then raised the base as well. The reassessments still stand, even though property values have since decreased significantly.. (may I insert here that virtually all of the “underwater” cities in the United States are run by Democrats). A stone has only so much blood.
Back to leaf collection. We are told the new plan was to save money. For whom?? Of course the city is saving money because the cost to collect leaves has now been transferred to us. Another tax increase. We had a system that was working and was only a minor nuisance to the taxpayers, to what is now an onerous, time consuming task that people my age will have to pay someone to perform. How can such an inconsiderate decision be made by those we would expect to be reasonable people, elected to oversee running OUR city. An election just took place where the United States and most of North Carolina regained their senses, but not Greensboro. I guess we still have enough citizens with more blood to surrender.
To the not so brilliant leaders of the City of Greensboro and their mis-guided new leaf service regulations. Take a look at a Google Map of let’s say zip code 27408. Then study how much land in this zip code is streets, parks, and city right of ways. Probably 20% of the space in these areas does not belong to homeowners, landowners, or tenants. Did anyone think about who is going to be responsible for collecting the leaves from these areas? And when these leaves blow in front of my property am I going to be responsible for removing those as well? Will the City of Greensboro put out leaf cameras in order to determine which leaves you are responsible for and/or maybe fined for not removing? Next November can’t get here soon enough with the opportunity to remove our current Mayor and entire City Council! What a disappointment they have been!
Jim Donaldson
Good review Rich. Greensboro is still stuck at the lunch counter and they never left.
The “Movie Star” mindset of our city council is no qualification of business sense. The irresponsible use of our citizens taxes and property tax increase is abominable. Look at other cities and who runs the dollars- not Movie Star wannabees, but responsible, educated and business success’. The unmentioned leaf conundrum, FLOODING. Backing up the sewers, creeks, lakes, etc- how about your swiming pools? The bragging on how Green Greensboro is will now make news on some fish wrap somewhere, somewhere else besides this area of the state of NC.
3 yrs of property tax increases is outrageous, just unforgiveable. Bye Bye
Another simple job made very difficult to deal with-go back to the old days-go back to man that bought the vacuum trucks he’ll probably sell them to the city!!
As long as they have to vote of the faithful, they ain’t rescinding Jack …..
We’re paying a service to come and collect the leaves from our front curb, so far this year we’ve spent $450.00 for this service. This money is being pulled from the money we had budgeted for the Salvation Army this Christmas Season. Compliance and Governmental Regulations have consequences
It sounds like the leaf police have a bigger budget than the Greensboro Police Department!