Stop Collecting Leaves This Fall In West Orange, Advocates Say (Here’s Why)

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The annual autumn chore of removing leaves from a lawn can be expensive, contribute to pollution, make a racket or leave vital pollinators such as butterflies and bees without a home. These are all reasons why it’s time to take another look at “leaving the leaves” where they sit, an environmental advocacy group in West Orange says.

Earlier this year, Our Green West Orange suggested that the town stop collecting leaves – a move that the nonprofit claims can save the municipality $500,000.

“West Orange is throwing good money after bad, year after year, to subsidize fleets of gas blowers and workers that pollute our air, shatter our peace, and worsen public health as they seek to collect every leaf in town,” the nonprofit said, laying out its case in a blog post.

“Every October 1 and all the way to the New Year, all over town, landscapers blow leaves into the street where they sit in piles causing fires and car accidents,” the nonprofit continued. “It’s even worse, homeowners are actually paying landscapers hundreds of dollars to blow precious leaves which are mulch and fertilizer to the street in a so-called ‘fall cleanup.’”

“We can leave the leaves in the beds, mow the leaves into the lawn and collect the rest by hand,” the group suggested, decrying the annual “war on leaves.”

Our Green West Orange members presented their proposal to the town council at their July 22 meeting. Watch footage below (video is cued to the presentation):

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.