Late falling leaves are a problem here as well. Hampden Township's last leaf pickup is next Monday. I still have deciduous trees full of green leaves. I'm going to be bagging in December (if there isn't snow) and in March (because eventually there will be snow). We're not alone - here's Roanoke:
It’s an unusual site, Roanoke using rakes and leaf blowers to try and knock the leaves out of the trees.“You can't control mother nature,” said Gretchen Van Tassel.
She took the pictures of her neighbors and a quick look around her neighborhood and you’ll see why. This leaf dropping problem is widespread.
“At least half are still in the trees,” she said.
All of this is far from an exact science. Some trees are already bare with the leaf piles to prove it. Others are losing theirs right now. And still others haven't lost one.
But, why do you care? Well, if you're a homeowner you know why. Raking leaves is an annual chore, one most dread. But it's eased by a little help from the city and its huge, moving leaf vacuum.
Starting Monday it will come around on a schedule, sucking up the leaves and leaving behind a neat yard. It’s a great service so long as your trees are cooperating. And if they’re not, you can pay extra for a second visit.
It’s unfair to some like Van Tassel.
“We're all paying the same taxes so then why should some of us later have to pay a 40 dollar fee,” she said.
DWayne D’Ardenne Works for Roanoke City and is in charge of the service that picks up an estimated 2,200 tons of leaves a year.
“It's a lot of leaves,” he says.
D’Ardenne admits that this year “Mother Nature hasn't cooperated very well.”