Publications & Sites 
Oak Brook schedules leaf pickup so leaves aren’t left
Esteban Allencastro hooks up one of three Leaf Vacs that the village uses to remove leaves from streets and parkways. | Jon Langham~for Sun-Times Media
Related Documents
Article Extras
Updated: December 10, 2012 1:56AM
OAK BROOK — Oak Book has announced its schedule for fall leaf pickup.
Leaves will be picked up by geographical zones, beginning Oct. 15 and continuing through Dec. 14. Each zone is scheduled to receive four pickups during the two-month program.
The village’s Public Works Department recommends mulching leaves and returning the beneficial material back to lawns and landscapes.
However, those wanting leaves picked up should rake them to the street pavement edge for collection by the village.
The Public Works Department is asking residents to follow these procedures for leaf pickup:
• Do not bag your leaves if you want the village to pick them up. The equipment used can only pick up piles of loose leaves.
• Rake only leaves into a pile. No shrub clippings, sticks or other debris are permitted, as these materials will clog equipment.
• Do not pile leaves on the street pavement. Leaves are to be placed behind the curb or edge of pavement.
• Place the leaves for collection a day or two prior to the dates listed on the schedule. Any leaves placed after scheduled times will not be collected until the next date. Later pickups are subject to weather conditions.
“It’s very important to make sure there aren’t any branches in the piles of leaves,” Public Works Director Mike Hullihan said. “The machines we use are vacuums, and they don’t pick up sticks, which can cause a lot of damage to the machines.”
Hullihan said keeping piles of leaves out of the streets also is very important.
“That can result in safety issues, and it’s really a big problem if people put them in the street and they get wet,” he said.
Hullihan said leaf pickup keeps staff plenty busy in the fall.
“We’re doing it five to six days a week,” he said.~.
